William David Moore

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

The Respondent, a sole practitioner, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court on 4 May 2001 on eleven counts (making a false instrument, six counts of theft, four counts of false accounting) and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. He had stolen over £68,000 from clients over three years through repeated deceptions. The Law Society had intervened in his practice in February 1999 on grounds of incapacity. The Tribunal found the allegations substantiated (uncontested), noting theft in the course of practice goes to the heart of the solicitor-client relationship, and ordered him struck off the Roll and to pay costs of £350.

Duties found breached:

• Proper basis for allegations

Aggravating factors:

• Thefts committed repeatedly over a period of three years
• Total sum stolen over £68,000
• Repeated deceptions of clients and falsification of practice records
• Claims made on the Compensation Fund

Mitigating factors:

• Severe financial pressure
• Depression and a suicide attempt
• Ill health (noted in his wife's letter)
• Sentencing judge expressed hope for future rehabilitation