Tan Ikram | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Alma mater | University of Wolverhampton |
| Occupation | Judge |
Tanveer Ikram CBE (born 1965 in Slough) is the Deputy Senior District Judge (Deputy Chief Magistrate) of England and Wales.[1] Ikram was appointed to the Judicial Appointments Commission, a body which selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals, for a period of three years from December 2023.[2] He studied at Wolverhampton Polytechnic where he obtained his LLB in 1988 and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1990.[3] He was admitted as a solicitor of the Senior Courts in 1993. He is British-Pakistani.[4]
Ikram started as a magistrates' clerk and joined Booth Bennett Solicitors (later IBB Solicitors) in 1993. He became a partner at IBB Solicitors in 1997 and from 2007 to 2009, he was a consultant at ABV Solicitors.[citation needed]
Ikram was appointed as a Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Court) in 2003 and district judge (Magistrates' Court) in 2009. In 2015, he was appointed as an associate judge on the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus. In 2017, he was appointed deputy senior district judge (Magistrates' Court).[5]
Ikram received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from the University of West London[6] and the University of Wolverhampton.[7] He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to judicial diversity.[8]
On 13 February 2024 Ikram, presiding over a case of three demonstrators carrying or wearing images appearing to glorify Hamas (the political and military movement governing in the Gaza Strip, and designated in the UK as a terrorist organization), found them guilty but let them off with conditional discharges. This judgement was subject to criticism.[9]
It then transpired that Ikram had shared and 'liked' an online posting by the pro-Palestinian barrister Sham Uddin condemning "Israeli terrorists in the United Kingdom, the United States, and of course Israel." The Campaign Against Antisemitism announced that they were therefore submitting a complaint to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office about Ikram's judgement in this case.[10][11] The Crown Prosecution Service has stated that it is considering seeking a judicial review of the case.[12] On the 15 February Ikram referred himself to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) stating that he had inadvertently “liked” the post. On the 11 June the JCIO issued a formal warning against Ikram for breaching guidance on social media use.[13]
On 21 July 2023, PC Perry Lathwood arrested and handcuffed Jocelyn Agyemang. According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct:
At about 11.12am, the woman exited a bus with her young child. She was approached by a TFL inspector and asked for her ticket. The woman said she told the inspector to walk with her while she got out her bus pass as she was in a hurry.
A Met Police Community Support Officer saw this and stood in the way of the woman to try to prevent her from walking away.
Police body worn footage shows PC Lathwood walked over to the woman and took hold of her arm to stop her walking away. He told the woman she was being detained for fare evasion and cautioned her.
A struggle took place with the woman repeatedly stating she wanted officers to let her go. PC Lathwood informed the woman that she was under arrest and placed handcuffs on her with the assistance of another officer.
After the woman was restrained by officers, her bus pass was scanned which confirms she had paid for her journey. The handcuffs were removed and she was dearrested.[14]
IOPC conducted an investigation into the event and sent their findings to the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS decided the officer should be charged with assault by beating.[14] Subsequently, Lathwood was charged with assault by beating. He was convicted of assault by Ikram.[15]
Rick Prior, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said that "cases like this have resulted in a huge crisis of confidence" amongst police officers while Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said that despite the conviction the Metropolitan Police was backing Lathwood.[16]
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said:
“Today a judge has found that the use of force by PC Lathwood against the woman after her arrest, including the use of handcuffs and holding onto her arm, was unlawful and he has been convicted of assault.
“Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justifiable in the circumstances.
“This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online.
“We carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved.
“The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and this was done after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaison with the CPS.”[14]