Winifred Djabatey

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

The Respondent, a non-practising barrister employed as an un-admitted employee of Tees Solicitors, made 19 unauthorised payments totalling £74,951.45 from the firm's client account to third parties (largely personal contacts) unconnected to the matters against which they were recorded, creating surpluses by under-billing to conceal them. The Tribunal, applying the Twinsectra test, found the allegations proved including dishonesty. Proceeding in the Respondent's absence, it made a section 43 order prohibiting his employment in legal practice without Law Society permission and ordered him to pay costs of £17,500.

Duties found breached:

• Honesty
• No improper use of client money

Aggravating factors:

• Deliberate, cunning, premeditated course of conduct over a long period
• Systematic attempt to defraud the firm involving a network of individuals with whom he had a personal/social connection
• Breach of trust placed in him to handle client funds
• Clients suffered losses
• Created surpluses by under-billing/not raising invoices to mislead employers