Kannan Siva > Albion Chambers > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile

Kannan Siva

0117 927 2144 kannan.siva@albionchambers.co.uk

Position

Kannan Siva is a criminal practitioner who has vast experience of defending serious and complex conspiracies relating to: drugs and firearms, organised crime, allegations of extreme violence, kidnap, blackmail and fraud. He also prosecutes cases of public importance including drug supply and regularly prosecutes allegations of Rape and Serious Sexual Offending, or cases involving particularly vulnerable victims, which often involve hearsay arguments. He has been a CPS panel advocate level 4 prosecutor since 2009. Although he is predominantly a criminal practitioner, Kannan’s ancillary civil practice includes a specialism in advisory and advocacy work relating to public protection, including protective orders for children and vulnerable adults. He represented the Gloucestershire Constabulary and assisted them to obtain their first ever Sexual Risk Order. He also undertakes licensing appeals, particularly in relation to the control of firearms. He has additional experience in police disciplinary work. Kannan provides training to solicitors, both in-house and at open seminars on substantive law, evidence and sentencing relating to serious crime, RASSO Training and Sexual Risk Orders. He has contributed to Judicial Studies Board training, specifically in serious Sexual Offences seminars. Kannan has been involved in the training of Advocacy and Ethics for the Western Circuit in recent years. He is an approved pupil supervisor. Kannan’s scientific background and a very brief foray into the study of medicine, has assisted him where expert evidence has been in issue. This includes DNA analysis, psychiatric assessment of defendants, including where defence of “insanity” has been raised, and cross-examination of medical professionals including surgeons and an expert in equine physiology. Kannan is  increasingly instructed by the Defence, on a private or publicly funded basis, to defend cases where individuals face extremely serious consequences to their liberty or reputation. His practice includes cases for the Crown and Defence which have attracted national media interest. In recent years he has regularly appeared for both Defence and Prosecution against Queen’s Counsel as the sole advocate or as the leading junior or led junior. Kannan Siva joins the Inquest team with a background of two decades of practice in criminal law. He has been instructed in serious cases, including murder trials, where expert evidence has been in issue. This has included the analysis of medical evidence. His former scientific training including a year as a medical student has proved useful in cases where the analysis of cause of injury, cause of death and forensic pathology has been required.

Career

Called 1996; Gray’s Inn

Memberships

Western Circuit; CBA

Education

BA (Hons)