Former solicitor jailed for defrauding firm of £160K
54 year old Fiona Parsons from Cornwall worked in Hereford
A former solicitor's been jailed for 30 months, for defrauding a Hereford law firm out of £160,000.
54 year old Fiona Parsons from Henver Road in Newquay, Cornwall, admitted fraud by abuse of position at Worcester Crown Court.
She paid money from over 300 clients into her own bank account, instead of the firm's.
The fraudulent activity was traced back to September 2020 by West Mercia Police's Economic Crime Unit and Hereford CID.
It began with two house buyers being asked to pay £400 to pay for property searches.
Two years later the couple began receiving bills from the solicitors saying they still owed money for the searches.
The police investigation uncovered multiple similar fraudulent activities with the same method, through to March 2023, when Parsons was arrested.
As well as the prison sentence, Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are still ongoing.
Detective Constable Cathryn Blake of Hereford CID said: “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.
“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.”