Dr Samrat Sengupta is delighted to join 2 Dr Johnson's Building as a tenant. Samrat’s area of work include criminal hearings and trials at Crown, Magistrates' and Youth Courts. He is also instructed in complex inquests having successfully represented families in Article 2 matters and inviting HM Coroner to report Preventing Future Deaths. Samrat receives excellent feedback and repeat instructions from solicitors. Examples: “The case involved a client who had been kept in a secure mental unit for over a decade from a very young age. Samrat’s work on this case together with his expert strategic decisions which were predicated on his background as a psychiatrist and appropriate representations culminated in achieving our client’s discharge from the secure unit.” “He meticulously prepares for each hearing and takes time and care in explaining things to the client” “His knowledge of mental health law, procedure and practice is second to none.”“His background in psychiatry is invaluable and he is a well-respected barrister.”“Samrat understands some of my clients can present challenging situations, yet he handles them with remarkable ease.” “Another crucial factor in my choice of counsel is their ability to quickly establish rapport with clients and put them at ease. Samrat has excelled in this aspect”. “I believe an important trait which Samrat has shown is his application and tenacity when dealing with situations". "He negotiated in respect of a client facing a trial for harassment and malicious communication to result in the charges been dropped ”Lay Client: “Especially for Mr Samrat, He was so professional and deeply focused and helpful with his case. I thank Him”.Samrat's previous experience in medicine, before coming to the Bar has paid dividends in his work. Prior to transferring to the Bar, Samrat was a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist for over 15 years at Broadmoor Hospital.

Dr Samrat Sengupta joined Thomas More Chambers as a third-six pupil in November 2022 having completed pupillage at Fraser Chambers. Samrat’s area of work include hearings and trials at Crown, Magistrates' and Youth Courts. He is also instructed in complex inquests having successfully represented families in Article 2 matters and inviting HM Coroner to report Preventing Future Deaths. Samrat receives excellent feedback and repeat instructions from solicitors. Samrat's previous experience in medicine, before coming to the Bar has paid dividends in his work. He intervenes effectively to assist the court in the resolution of trials involving mental health matters. Examples: Drafted a sentencing note at St Alban’s Crown Court which helped breaking the vicious cycle of mental health detention (detained for the past 7 years) of the client; outcome - a brief custodial sentence.Detailed submissions on the client’s diagnosis of Autism and Learning Disability, Crown offered no evidence in a case of possession of imitation firearm.Mitigation of a client with mental health difficulties; result: suspended sentence order avoiding custody.Prior to transferring to the Bar, Samrat was a Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist in the NHS for over 15 years in one of the three maximum secure hospitals in the UK with extensive experience in managing high risk offenders with complex mental health problems. He had wide-ranging skills in providing expert evidence in matters involving fitness to plead, diminished responsibility and mental health review tribunals. He had also published research, written book chapters and presented in conferences. He is an MBBS, Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), Master of Science (MSc) in Medical Anthropology, UCL and Graduate Diploma in Law. He was called to the Bar in March 2019 by the Inner Temple.In his spare time, he is an actor in the fringe theatre, a story-teller in museums and has performed in the Edinburgh fringe festival.

First-Six pupillage experience included being seconded ‘in-house’ to a firm of solicitors in criminal law and shadowing my pupil supervisor in a range of civil trials and often high-profile inquests including Stephen Port inquest. Cases includes criminal cases in the magistrates and crown courts (first appearances, bail applications, plea in mitigations and sentencing). Developed broad ranging experience in civil matters, family law and inquests.Published articles are:1. The Court’s approach to key defences in the Defamation Act, The Bar Magazine, Dr Samrat Sengupta and Dr Anton van Dellen2. Case Analysis for LexisNexis: Suicide of a 15-year-old under a section 31 Care Order – is it an Article 2 Inquest? R (on the application of Boyce) v HM Senior Coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool [2022] EWHC 107 (Admin), Dr Samrat Sengupta and Dr Anton van Dellen3. Contempt of Court Imprisonment: What are the Human Rights Issues? – Coventry Law Journal Vol 26(2), Dr Rona Epstein, Dr Anton van Dellen, Dr Samrat SenguptaWith his supervisor, he had written articles in the Bar magazine and case analysis in LexisNexis.

Responsible for day-to-day care of 20 complex patients. Duties included monitoring the progress of patients, co-ordinating their care plans, providing both statutory and non-statutory reports for the Courts, Mental Health Review Tribunals and prisons. Gave extensive evidence and medical opinions in the Mental Health Review Tribunals; regularly involved in providing expert medical evidence in significantly complex high profile crown court matters. Gave evidence on fitness to plead issues, contested diminished responsibility issues and complex hospital order disposals. In the past 10 years gave medical evidence in over 100 cases, which have been covered in the media. Also worked internationally, including speaking at conferences, and advising on mental health law around the world.