Owain Dwyryd Jones

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

Owain Dwyryd Jones, admitted 1991, was convicted on 7 December 2000 at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on two counts of procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception, involving cheques of £200 and £500 from clients Mr and Mrs H, and sentenced to six months concurrent imprisonment. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found the allegation of conduct unbefitting a solicitor substantiated. Given the dishonesty conviction and custodial sentence, the Tribunal struck him off the Roll and ordered costs of £4,927.41.

Duties found breached:

• Cease acting on client perjury or disobedience

Aggravating factors:

• Breach of client trust; Mr H regarded him as a friend
• Attempted to attribute diversion of the second cheque to the deceased senior partner, compromising his reputation
• Undermined public confidence in the profession
• Custodial sentence of six months served

Mitigating factors:

• Young solicitor with detrimental effect on ability to support his family
• Worked for three years since conviction without complaints
• Acquitted of ten other charges
• Expressed remorse and stated he would not act the same way again