A solicitor hung his head in shame as his ‘last sh
A solicitor hung his head in shame as his ‘last shred of honour’ disappeared when he was struck off for dishonesty today.
(thurs)
The Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal was told that Antony James Doggett, 55, set up an ‘honesty account’ which involved him taking money from 251 clients and putting it into his firm’s account.
Speaking on behalf of the disgraced solicitor, Jonathan Friend, told the hearing Doggett had suffered enough.
‘He has just pnds stlg 60 in his pocket.
He has lost his business and his home please don’t add to his humiliation.
‘He is a foolish, foolish man who regrets his actions.
‘He is an honourable man who has two grown up children and has recently separated from his partner.
‘He has been in the Territorial Army since 1969, and next week will be representing the Parachute Regiment by riding a horse through London in the Lord Mayor’s parade.
‘His work is all he has left and to lose it would take away his last shred of honour,’ he added.
Miss Katrina Wingfield, for the Law Society, had told the hearing how his firm Doggett and Co, of Freemantle Road, Basingstoke, was investigated in September 1998.
‘Looking through the firm’s accounts they discovered a cash shortage of pnds stlg 7,843 and 77 pence.
‘Mr Doggett explained that all this money was below the ‘honesty limit.
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‘He explained that he had been asked to trace clients to return monies owed.
‘But as he was under pressure he decided instead to transfer the cash from 251 clients into the firm’s account.
‘He said that many of the amounts were very small – from about pnds stlg 5 to pnds stlg 80.
‘He decided his ‘honesty limit’ would be pnds stlg 100 and anything beneath that amount would be transferred to the firm’s account.
‘He explained that this would be a less time consuming and less costly way of dealing with the matter than tracing each and every one of the 251 clients.
‘He described it as a rationalisation of client accounts,’ she added.
Mr Friend admitted that Doggett was not denying this but stated he had no intention of being dishonest.
‘He thought he was doing the right thing.
He is an honorably man and now realises he has been extremely foolish,’ he added.
The panel heard how Law Society took over his affairs and then closed his office.
He was also unable to get a practice certificate after that.
Mr Friend continued: ‘My client tried to prevent the intervention and took the matter to the High Court but Mrs Justice Arden agreed and the intervention remained in place.
‘Because of this he lost everything.
This once honourable man has been reduced to nothing.
He now lives above his former offices and has no means of support.
‘I implore you to not take away his last shred of honour.
He did not intend to be dishonest,’ he added.
The tribunal heard that the money has since been returned.
After more than 30 minutes of deliberation chairman Mr Jeremy Barnecutt told Doggett he had no choice but to order that he be struck off the Solicitors’ Roll:
‘If you took 251 items belonging to other people without telling them then this is, in my books, most definitely dishonesty.
‘It doesn’t matter how small the amounts were, it was not your money and you had no right to it.
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Doggett admitted one charge of not keeping his accounts in compliance with solicitors guidelines.
He was also ordered to pay costs of pnds stlg 4,520, 19.
ends
