A solicitor who siphoned client funds to her own bank account during the course of property transactions has been given a 30 month prison sentence with further proceedings connected to the Proceeds of Crime Act ongoing.
Fiona Parsons was an associate at Hereford firm Lambe Corner who, since September 2020, redirected monies on account for searches to her own personal bank account. An investigation by Hereford CID and West Mercia’s economic crime unit uncovered multiple similar incidents with the same method which stretched through to March 2023 when Parsons was arrested. In total Parsons is thought to have defrauded over 300 clients, to the tune of around £160,000.
The fraud was identified when a couple began to receive bills from the firm advising them they still owed the £400 they put on account for searches two years previously.
“We are pleased to get this custodial sentence at court for Parsons whose fraudulent activities cost a law firm just over £160,000 over a three-year period. Her actions not only put customers out of pocket but the business too and it was not only an abuse of her position as a solicitor but also an abuse of trust.
said Detective Constable Cathryn Blake of Hereford CID, adding
“We would like to thank the firm for their cooperation and all the clients who have been spoken to, whether that was by myself or the firm for their help during this investigation.”
