• March 28, 2024
 Solicitor jailed after stealing £1 million from dead client’s estate

Solicitor jailed after stealing £1 million from dead client’s estate

A former coroner has been sentenced to five years in prison, after stealing £1 million from a client’s estate, in order to save his diminishing law firm.

John Owen became an executor of the will of local farmer, John Williams, and eventually became sole trustee following the death of the two other executors.

Cardiff Crown Court say Owen’s thriving reputation of being an exemplary member of the community has now been tarnished.

Prior to the hearing this month, Owen had reportedly already admitted to 17 counts of both theft and false accounting.

The court was also informed that Williams had passed away with no immediate relatives, and his estate had been sold.

The prosecutor stated Owen unlawfully claimed half of the bequeathed amount through billing for work he never actually carried out between 2003 and 2011.

After landing financial difficulty within his law firm, Owen is said to have used the funds, which were intended to be donated to charity, as a way of keeping the business afloat.

Pauline Mainwaring, one of Owen’s employees, apparently became concerned at the rate in which outgoings accelerated within the business, which prompted her to contact the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

The prosecutor continued by claiming there were no records of what the £1 million was used for. However Owen’s colleagues relayed accounts of his "extravagant lifestyle", even at the time when the firm was going under.

In defence, it was claimed that the work carried out by Owen as both a solicitor and as a coroner, was exemplary. Due to the billing system, he was said to have consequently undercharged for many of the services he provided, and worked to protect his members of staff.

Judge Stephen Hopkins deemed Owen in breach of trust and stated he had abused his position in order to take half of the funds left by his client. Judge Hopkins also said his actions were "damaging not only your victim but also your colleagues and profession at large."

In order to repay the money, an application was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and Owen has since had to sell his home.

Heather Cameron