Legal worker stole £400k from client

A YOUNG legal secretary who siphoned more than £400,000 from a client's bank account, prompting her firm to close, has been jailed for more than four years.

Leanne Harris, 25, of Gildredge, Whitesmith, wrote five fraudulent cheques to a Mr Harris from the bank account of Joan Watson over the space of almost two years while she was working at Arscotts Solicitors in Hove.

A group of her former colleagues, who lost their jobs in the wake of the scandal, hugged each other outside Hove Crown Court when Harris was sentenced to four years and nine months for five counts of fraud, and four years and six months for a separate count of theft, to run concurrently.

She had admitted the charges at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how Harris began by paying herself small amounts to clear mounting debts, but started stealing more when she realised she was getting away with it.

Nobody noticed until after she had stolen more than £419,000 from the same client, including a single cheque for £196,406, between November 2008 and November 2010.

Harris also set up her own company to solicit private work by offering free will advice through charities, then stole £64,815 from trusting victim Miriam Turnbull, who had given her power of attorney over her finances.

Defending, Lewis Power said Harris was "deeply ashamed" of her conduct.

He added she had been under a lot of stress in her home life as her husband James has a psychotic personality disorder.

He said Harris, who had joined Arscotts aged 20, had run into financial trouble adding: "It started with her taking £2,000 to pay bills. She thought nobody would notice and she would return the money before anyone did."

But, he said, when she realised how easy it was, it became a "spiral effect".

Harris and her family have since paid back £250,000 and it was hoped Ms Watson would be compensated by the firm's insurers.

Following Harris's case, family firm Arscotts was forced to close as companies refused to insure it any longer.