Rodney Hylton-Potts

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

Solicitor Rodney Hylton-Potts, admitted 1969 and practising on his own account in Knightsbridge, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on 12 July 1996 of four counts of conspiracy to defraud banks in a 'mortgage fraud' scheme, receiving five years' imprisonment on each count (concurrent) and a 7-year company director disqualification. He did not appear at the disciplinary hearing and had indicated he would not contest the application. The Tribunal found the allegation substantiated, holding that he had behaved dishonestly and disgraced the profession, and ordered him struck off the Roll plus payment of costs in a fixed sum.

Duties found breached:

• Proper basis for allegations

Aggravating factors:

• Convicted of four counts of conspiracy to defraud banks
• Sentenced to five years' imprisonment on each count
• Conduct regarded as at the highest end of the scale of professional misconduct
• Fifteen applications to the Compensation Fund totalling some £60,000

Mitigating factors:

• Had disposed of his practice in an orderly fashion so the Law Society did not intervene
• Indicated he would not contest the application