Vithyah Chelvam

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“Red Lion is well known to be a dynamic set with many barristers operating at the top end.”
Legal 500, 2022

Personal profile

Vithyah is instructed in all areas of prosecution and defence, practising in Crime, Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary Law and Inquests & Inquiries. She is a Grade 2 prosecutor, and regularly appears in the Youth Court, Magistrates’ Court and Crown Court for a wide array of offences.

Prior to joining Chambers, Vithyah worked in the bribery and corruption division of the Serious Fraud Office on a cross-border investigation into a former FTSE 100 company. Vithyah was then awarded the Sir Joseph Priestley scholarship by the Inner Temple to become an Amicus intern in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Here, she assisted in defending clients facing the death penalty. Upon her return to the UK, Vithyah worked within the Regulatory team at Kingsley Napley LLP and became a lead paralegal for government decision-making at the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Crime

Vithyah has experience in a broad range of serious criminal offences and is regularly instructed to prosecute and defend in the Crown Court, Youth Court and Magistrates’ Court. During pupillage, Vithyah prosecuted lists of trials in a wide array of offences including offences against the person, drug offences and sexual offences. Additionally, she was seconded to the Attorney General’s Office where she advised on matters concerning Unduly Lenient Sentences.

Business Crime & Fraud

Vithyah has a keen interest in corporate and financial crime. She comes to Chambers having worked in the bribery and corruption division of the Serious Fraud Office on a cross-border investigation into a former FTSE 100 company. She currently acts as junior disclosure counsel for a complex fraud case instructed by the CPS Serious Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate (“SEOCID”).

Regulatory & Professional Disciplinary

Vithyah has a vast and varied experience in professional and regulatory disciplinary work for various bodies. This has included working in the fields of licensing, education and health and safety. She has been instructed in her own right to appeal against licensing decisions by Transport for London. She has acted as disclosure counsel for HMRC and the Office for Product Safety and Standards .

Vithyah has a particular interest for cases concerning healthcare regulation. She presents as approved counsel for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Care Professional Council and General Optical Council.