Stuart Nuttall

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

Stuart Nuttall, a solicitor admitted in 1997 (not holding a practising certificate at the relevant time), faced three allegations all found proved in his absence. Allegation 1.1: in November 2018 he obtained a £5,000 corporate loan for his company Sentium Group Limited by misrepresentation, impersonating a fellow director (MP) and electronically signing MP's signature as guarantor without consent. Allegation 1.2: on 10 December 2021 he falsely represented to Counsel's clerk that he had authorised payment of Counsel's fees (£1,200) when he had not. Allegation 1.3: between July 2020 and September 2021 he failed to co-operate with the SRA's investigation. The Tribunal expressly found dishonesty (applying Ivey) in respect of Allegations 1.1 and 1.2. Finding no exceptional circumstances, the Tribunal struck him off the Roll and ordered costs of £7,603.

Duties found breached:

• Proper basis for allegations
• Integrity
• Uphold public trust in the profession
• Diligence and timeliness
• Cooperate openly with regulators

Aggravating factors:

• Conduct was financially motivated, calculated and deliberate
• Impersonation of a fellow director and falsification of his signature
• Harm caused to co-director MP, who was made a personal guarantor without knowledge
• Dishonesty found in respect of two allegations
• Failure to co-operate with the SRA while actively engaged in litigation during the same period