Christopher Kenneth Grierson

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

Francis Michael Bridgeman, a solicitor, was convicted at Lewes Crown Court of perverting the course of public justice after falsely telling police he had been kidnapped at knifepoint to conceal that he had crashed his car while driving with excess alcohol. He also pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and driving without due care and attention, and received a (subsequently suspended on appeal) custodial sentence. The conduct was personal, not professional. The Tribunal found both allegations substantiated (admitted by the Respondent) and made an express finding of dishonesty under the Twinsectra test. He was struck off the Roll and ordered to pay agreed costs of £7,238.40.

Duties found breached:

• No taking unfair advantage
• Not mislead third parties or opponents
• Non-discriminatory acceptance and cab-rank
• No conflict between current clients

Aggravating factors:

• Respondent was a solicitor and officer of the court
• Deliberate lies maintained throughout the police investigation
• Conduct triggered a significant police investigation (~200 hours)
• Damaged reputation of the profession and public confidence in the administration of justice

Mitigating factors:

• Previous good character / no prior disciplinary matters
• Conviction did not arise from professional work
• Cooperated with the SRA and did not contest the application
• Self-reported to the SRA
• Serious ill-health of the Respondent's wife and difficult personal circumstances
• Expressed contrition and chose not to renew his practising certificate