Alison Haley Griffiths

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

Solicitor Alison Haley Griffiths, while acting under Lasting Powers of Attorney, misappropriated £49,482.52 from Client A and £35,790 from Person B. She was convicted of fraud by abuse of position (section 4 Fraud Act 2006) and sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment on each count concurrently at Salisbury Crown Court. She admitted all allegations. The Tribunal dealt with the matter on the papers by Agreed Outcome and found her dishonest. The misconduct was extremely serious and only a strike off would protect the public and the profession's reputation. No order as to costs was made.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
• No conflict between current clients
• Good faith and courtesy to colleagues

Aggravating factors:

• Dishonesty (advanced as an aggravating feature in respect of allegation 1.1 for the period up to 25 November 2019)
• Misappropriation of vulnerable clients' funds while acting under Lasting Powers of Attorney
• Criminal convictions for fraud by abuse of position
• Funds used for personal benefit including goods and a holiday