Swindling solicitor struck off

A high flying solicitor who swindled nearly £2m from clients to spend on his mistress and foreign investments, has been struck off.

The case of Northampton solicitor Adrian Jackman, 53, went before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal on Thursday.

This follows Jackman's Basildon Crown Court appearance in May last year where he admitted 18 offences of theft and 16 of obtaining by deception.

Jackman, of Church Road, Spratton, Northamptonshire, was jailed for six years.

This is as bad a case of breach of trust as one can imagine

Judge Philip Clegg

Chairman of the tribunal, Mr Alan Ground, announcing the decision said: "This is one of the most serious, appalling cases we've heard."

Through inventing clients, making false wills and using bogus paperwork to obtain loans from High Street banks, he is believed to have netted nearly £2m.

In his absence Jackman admitted five allegations of failing to keep accounts properly written up and inappropriate transfers from client accounts to office accounts.

Buy respectability

He also admitted using clients' funds and misappropriating funds.

At the trial Judge Philip Clegg said: "This is as bad a case of breach of trust as one can imagine.

"You like to throw money around and play the big man, trying to buy respectability and popularity."

The court heard that Jackman, a senior partner for 10 years of Turner Coulston, Northampton, and a past president of Northamptonshire Law Society, had sent £1,000 a month to his mistress in South Africa.

The court was told that Jackman was suspected of investing a large amount of the money in business interests.