Husna Khan
Employee
7262543

Decision - Employee-related decision

Outcome: Control of non-qualified staff (Section 43 / Section 99 order)

Outcome date: 8 October 2025

Published date: 14 October 2025

Firm details

Firm or organisation at time of matters giving rise to outcome

Name: O’Neill Patient Solicitors LLP

Address(es): Floors 2 and 32 Stockport Exchange, Railway Road, Stockport, SK1 3GG

Firm ID: 449172

Outcome details

This outcome was reached by SRA decision.

Reasons/basis

The SRA has disqualified Ms Khan from holding any of the following roles in law firms regulated by the SRA:

• Head of Legal Practice
• Head of Finance and Administration
• A manager
• An employee

The facts of the case

Ms Khan has worked as an employee in the legal profession since 2020. She was employed at the firm as a trainee property lawyer in its conveyancing remortgage department between 8 April and 22 August 2024.

On 26 March 2021, Ms Khan's brother, Khayam Khurshid, was convicted of the murder of Cole Kershaw. He was also convicted of an offence of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The facts of Mr Khurshid's conviction were that Mr Kershaw was shot and fatally wounded on 12 August 2020 from shots fired from a car. Mr Khurshid was in the car with another person who fired the shots which killed Mr Kershaw. Mr Khurshid and his accomplice fled the scene.

Between 12 and 20 August 2020, Ms Khan and her sister, Farah Khan, assisted Mr Khurshid by hiding him in a hotel and then by attempting to assist him to flee the country so he could avoid prosecution for murder.

The police authorities traced them and on 18 August 2020, Mr Khurshid was arrested in Amsterdam by Dutch police. Ms Khan and her sister returned home and were arrested when they arrived in England. The police found that the financial transactions made to try to enable Mr Khurshid to flee the county to evade justice were paid for by Ms Khan and her sister and totalled £2,800.

On 2 July 2024, Ms Khan was convicted on indictment of assisting an offender by impeding apprehension/prosecution in relation to a murder offence. On 19 August 2024, she was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, with forfeiture of a motor vehicle and a victim surcharge of £190.

The firm was not aware of Ms Khan's arrest or conviction until the conviction was reported on the police website on 19 August 2024. The firm reported the conviction to the SRA on 20 August 2024. On 22 August 2024, the firm terminated Ms Khan's employment.

It was found that Ms Khan:

Assisted an offender by impeding their apprehension and prosecution relating to murder offences, resulting in her conviction at Manchester Crown Court on 2 July 2024.

In doing so Ms Khan breached Principles 1, 2 and 5 of the SRA Principles.

Ms Khan's conduct was serious by reference to the following factors in the SRA Enforcement Strategy:

• she committed a serious criminal offence for which she was sentenced to immediate imprisonment;
• she attempted to obstruct the course of justice;
• it was planned and premeditated;
• it lacked integrity and;
• it posed a risk to public confidence in the solicitors' profession and in legal services provided by authorised persons.

Our decision on sanction

Ms Khan's conduct breached relevant duties that applied to her as an employee of the firm, namely, Principles 1, 2 and 6 of the SRA Principles 2019.

It was found that it would be undesirable for Ms Khan to act as a Head of Legal Practice, Head of Finance and Administration, a manager or an employee of a body licensed in accordance with section 99 of the Legal Services Act 2007.

Ms Khan was disqualified from holding any of these roles. She was also directed to pay costs of £600.

SRA Principles 2019

Principle 1: You act in a way that upholds the constitutional principle of the rule of law, and the proper administration of justice.

Principle 2: You act in a way that upholds public trust and confidence in the solicitors professionand in legal services provided by authorised persons.

Principle 5: You act with integrity.