Thousands sought from con lawyer

Forster faces a confiscation order of £100,000

A former lawyer who swindled clients out of almost £700,000 has been ordered to pay back £100,000.

John Kennedy Forster, 55, from Stranraer, has been serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence for embezzling £667,000.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh granted a £100,000 confiscation order from the former honorary sheriff.

Forster admitted 34 charges of conning money from clients, including wills, trust funds, churches and charities.

He had used the money to fund what was described as a lavish lifestyle.

Forster admitted embezzling money over a 10-year period when he was a partner at solicitors Ferguson & Forster, MacFie & Alexander, based in Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway.

He was sent to prison in March 2004.

There are still some outstanding creditors in respect of his business activities Barry Divers Advocate depute

Lord Emslie granted a confiscation order for £100,000 after hearing that the Crown and defence lawyers had reached agreement.

The judge, who jailed Forster last year, enquired about restitution to Forster's victims, which was a factor in the sentence he imposed.

Advocate depute Barry Divers said: "As I understand matters those victims of his actions who were his clients have received payments from the Law Society through the indemnity insurance policy.

"There are still some outstanding creditors in respect of his business activities. These are commercial creditors, such as financial institutions."

Defence counsel Derek Ogg QC said there was an initial repayment of £220,000 and other money followed after that.

Accident victims

Mr Divers said the £100,000 in the confiscation order amounted to "the realisable assets" of Forster, who was given four months to pay.

During the trial, it was revealed that he even took money from his aunt's estate and cash from accident victims who were due compensation.

He became the senior partner in his law firm in Stranraer in 1987.

Forster's activities allowed him to live in a large house in the town with an outdoor pool and educate his children at private school.

Forster was in court to hear of the recovery arrangement.