A solicitor who stole or defrauded nearly £1 million from clients has been jailed for 40 months.
Lancashire based Kimberley Bridge, 44, of SFN Solicitors took the funds from bereaved families to prop up her struggling business.
Bridge’s sister, Nicola Roach, 35, who was a conveyancing assistant at the firm and due to be sentenced in January also stole around £140,000 to pay for designer goods, Preston Crown Court was told.
The SRA inspected the firm in Burnley in October 2012 before calling in the police. Bridge was struck off after a hearing in April 2014.
Because of Bridge’s actions, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said her company had run up a £186,000 shortfall in its client account by November 2011.
She tried to conceal this, the regulator said, by creating a fictitious property sale and claiming she was taking the lender to court for failing to transfer funds.
According to the SRA, by August 2012 there were £714,000 worth of payments not allocated to the correct clients on the ledger; £232,000 of which had been allocated to Bridge’s personal account.
Speaking to local press after sentencing, Det. Sgt Nick Hodgeson who led the investigation said: “I am pleased with today’s result which is the culmination of over three years of work on what has been a long and complex investigation.
“Bridge has shown little empathy for her actions after preying on her victims – some of which were extremely vulnerable – whilst in a position of trust.
“In total just short of £1m was stolen over the period of a few years by taking money deposited by clients mainly for conveyancing services and using it to run the business.
“The public rightly expect that solicitors and those in positions of trust should uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Her fraudulent activities have been an extreme breach of that trust.
“Unfortunately not all the victims have been compensated for their losses and some have very emotional, sad stories about money with very personal attachments after losing their loved ones being stolen.
“I hope today’s sentencing will reassure the public that these matters will be investigated fully, regardless of time. Lastly, I hope the victims can now move forward with their lives.”
