A solicitor who represented three of the July 21 defendants has been criticised by the judge for her conduct during the trial.

Mudassar Arani tried to cover up lengthy delays in providing statements from her clients by seeking to blame prison staff, Mr Justice Fulford said. He described her complaints about Belmarsh jail, southeast London, as a smokescreen and said they were written in “extremely intemperate language”.

After sentencing, the judge said: “These complaints, in my view, were designed to justify the late service of the defence statements . . . or some of them. I consider these complaints to be wholly unjustified.”

Mr Justice Fulford said that two of Miss Arani’s clients, Muktar Said Ibrahim and Yassin Omar, delayed the start of the trial by three months and caused further delays that contributed to the case lasting six months. He added: “I have no doubt that those two defendants have attempted cynically to manipulate the processes of this court.” He recommended that the court be allowed to impose sanctions if the defence statement were unreasonably delayed.

After the case, Miss Arani said that the judge had made “inappropriate” comments. She said: “HMP Belmarsh was the subject of adverse comments by HMP Inspectorate of Prisons on some of the grounds which were the subject of my complaints.

“The public criticisms he [the judge] has made of me and my firm appear as if they are judicial findings when in fact he has not heard evidence on the issues, and knows on some matters no explanation could be given due to my professional obligation.”

During the trial Miss Arani was accused by Stephen Kamlish, QC, defence counsel for Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, of attempting to bribe his client. Her firm, Arani & Co, was also alleged to have smuggled papers into prison to influence that suspect’s defence case. She has not made any comment on these claims.

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