Edgar Stephen Thomas, a solicitor from Pembrokeshire, has been jailed for six years following the admission that he had defrauded 23 estates of his deceased vulnerable clients.
In total, 16 families have become victims of Mr Thomas as he overcharged them £1 million for his services and in some cases lied about the work that had been completed.
The sole practitioner had been instructed to administer the estates of his deceased clients between 2005 and 2014. Whilst completing the probate work, Mr Thomas massively increased the prices he charged.
Despite the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) investigating Thomas in 2011 for overcharging clients following a number of irregularities in his fees, auditors did not pursue the claims and he was able to steal money from grieving families for another four years.
Whilst administering the estate of Audrey Williams, Thomas charged an exorbitant 127,500 plus VAT. Following a plea of guilty to fraud, Williams admitted that his fees were unfairly increased by £112,000.
One client was charged £20,000 per week. It was heard that during this time he completed no work and continued to take the fee from the estate.
Mr Thomas, who worked as a sole practitioner whilst committing his fraudulent crimes, has since been struck off for his ‘despicable’ actions and will spend the next six years in prison.
Jim Davis, prosecutor for the case, said: “He grossly overcharged and then deducted the payments directly from the estates of deceased people. He helped himself without telling them what he was doing.”
Ian Ibrahim, defence for the case, said: “His fall from a high place has been dramatic. His remorse is complete and utterly without qualification. He has lost everything and knows that he will go to jail today.”
Judge Keith Thomas said during his summary comments: “Your victims have described your behaviour as disgusting and despicable.”
What impact do cases like this have on the reputation of Wills and probate professionals? Is the outcome of this case fair and proportionate?
One Response
I’m sorry to say as nobody likes a ‘finger-wagger’ although; for anyone working in the legal sector there is a line called ‘self-awareness, conscience and pride’. I lost a business which had been buildit up though ten years of hard work via the actions of my business partner who switched off his conscience (and went to jail for his carelessness). Problem is the ‘pebble in the pond’ effect on the lives of others; the client, colleagues et al.
I hope he enjoys the food in HMP.
J