Narita Bahra QC Marks First 100 Years and Becomes 1st Female Criminal Silk to Begin the “Lethbridge Gloves” Tradition on Silks Day
Narita Bahra QC was honoured to carry with her a pair of white silk gloves to the Silks swearing in ceremony, to mark the centenary this year of women being allowed to enter the legal profession.
The gloves also pay tribute to the criminal barrister Nemone Lethbridge, who was not able to become a silk. Now in her 80s, Lethbridge represented the notorious Kray twins in their early days. But she was forced to leave the Bar for almost 20 years after it became public that she was married to a convicted murderer — Jimmy “Ginger” O’Connor — and she is still fighting to prove his innocence.
Narita was quoted in The Times saying it was “an absolute honour” to carry the gloves, adding: “I never thought that I — an Asian woman from a state school — would be taking silk.”
The gloves mark a new tradition where they will be handed over to a new female criminal silk to keep Nemone’s story alive.
Lethbridge sent a message to accompany the gloves, reading: “Congratulations centenary silk! Onwards and upwards forever! With love and admiration!”
David Whittaker QC, Zubair Ahmad QC and Narita Bahra QC were all sworn in at the Silks Day ceremony on Monday 11th March 2019.
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