A barrister who wrote a book about sleepwalking has been brought before a disciplinary tribunal after she fell asleep during an inquest hearing and missed her client giving evidence.
Ramya Nagesh, who is a member of the commercial law firm 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, has been accused by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) of professional misconduct after she ‘dozed off’ during a virtual hearing.
The barrister, who worked on the Grenfell Inquiry, was appearing at a coroner’s inquest at Pontypridd County Court, Wales, on behalf of her client — a nurse witness — in December 2022.
She attended the trial virtually from her hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express in Stockport, according to The Telegraph.
The tribunal heard how Ms Nagesh fell asleep shortly after eating a baked potato during the inquest’s 45-minute lunch break.
When she woke up, Ms Nagesh returned to the inquest hearing 15 minutes late and missed her client giving evidence.
This was despite the coroner’s repeated announcement that the case would adjourn at 1.30pm.
Ramya Nagesh, (pictured) who is a member of the commercial law firm 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square, has been accused by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) of professional misconduct
Ms Nagesh attended the trial virtually from her hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express in Stockport (pictured), according to The Telegraph
The tribunal was told that in the afternoon, Ms Nagesh’s camera was turned off and she fell asleep for about 2 hours, becoming unreachable by phone, text or email.
The BSB has accused the barrister of failing to provide an adequate explanation or apology for her late appearance.
Ms Nagesh initially suggested an ‘internet glitch’ was the reason behind her disappearance but later admitted to being ‘in a fog’ and that she thought she had only been asleep for 10 minutes at most.
The coroner became aware that Ms Nagesh was not present when she was invited to give further questions but did not respond.
The tribunal heard how Ms Nagesh fell asleep shortly after eating a baked potato during the inquest’s 45 minute lunch break
Ms Nagesh previously wrote a academic textbook on how criminal law treats cases of sleepwalking, blackouts and hypoglycaemia.
She has since claimed she was suffering from fatigue caused by a Covid infection, a vitamin D deficiency and a sleep disorder which affected her cognition and memory.
David Perry KC, who provided witness evidence about her character said she was a ‘very level headed, decent, good person,’ according to The Telegraph.
Ms Nagesh has no previous disciplinary findings against her and is said to ‘profoundly regret’ the incident. She has apologised to the coroner and her client.
The case continues.