A barrister, who was born and bred in Bradford, has become the first Muslim on the North-Eastern legal circuit to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel.

Tahir Khan, who is based at Broadway House Chambers in Bradford, said he hoped his appointment as a Silk would encourage young people in the city to believe that they could succeed in the legal profession.

Mr Khan was called to the Bar in 1986 and initially spent three months working voluntarily at Bradford Law Centre. He then worked for five years with the Crown Prosecution Service, becoming the region’s first prosecutor of Pakistani descent.

He left the CPS and has been at Broadway Chambers for almost 20 years. He was also made a Recorder, or part-time judge, in 2004.

Mr Khan, who is married with three children, said: “It is a big personal achievement for me, but I also hope it reflects on the city of my birth.

“I hope the fact that I have become a QC will make a difference to the view that people take of the minority communities. I will be speaking effectively for them, as well as the community at large.”

Mr Khan has featured in many high-profile criminal cases in recent years, including a number of people involved in the Bradford riots.

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