Charles Clutton

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

The Respondent solicitor was convicted of six Environmental Protection Act offences and fined £9,000 by Knutsford Crown Court for signing, on three occasions, false returns to the local authority understating carcasses incinerated. The Tribunal found dishonesty (adopting the Recorder's findings) and struck him off, ordering costs of £577.33.

Duties found breached:

• Cease acting on client perjury or disobedience

Aggravating factors:

• Knowingly signed false returns on more than one occasion (three occasions)
• Conduct affected the reputation of the solicitors' profession
• Underlying purpose was to enable extra profit by exceeding permitted incineration limits

Mitigating factors:

• Peripheral/minor involvement in the company, which was run almost entirely by his brother
• Difficulty in refusing a family member
• No damage to the environment or evidence of pollution
• Returns to the Intervention Board were accurate; no payment received for work not done
• Not acting as a solicitor when signing; signed only as company director
• Unblemished professional history of 15 years, no prior disciplinary appearances, no insurance claims
• Already paid heavy price through fine, costs and anxiety; penalty exceeded that imposed on his brother
• Not a danger to the public
• Conviction attracted little publicity