Antony Terry Laughton

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

Antony Terry Laughton, a former solicitor removed from the Roll in October 2002, was convicted at Swindon Crown Court on five counts of forgery and one count of acting as a company director while an undischarged bankrupt, receiving 15 months' imprisonment. The Tribunal found the allegation of conduct unbefitting a solicitor substantiated. With the Respondent's consent, it made a prohibition order barring restoration to the Roll except by Tribunal order and ordered costs of £495. No express finding of dishonesty was recorded by the Tribunal (the sentencing judge referred to a breach of trust).

Duties found breached:

• No conflict between current clients

Aggravating factors:

• Convictions for forgery and acting as director while bankrupt
• Sentencing judge found a breach of trust placed in him by those relying on his professional background
• Convictions seriously damaged the reputation of the profession

Mitigating factors:

• Pleaded guilty to the criminal charges
• Did not contest the disciplinary application and consented to the order sought