Robert Ian Corteen, 42, admitted 1985, practising at material time in partnership of Lewis & Dick of Ewell and Sutton, struck off and ordered to pay £980 costs. Allegations substantiated he was convicted at Snaresbrook Crown Court in July 1996 of 10 counts of procuring execution of a valuable security by deception, and was jailed for 12 months. Tribunal was told that Corteen was involved in mortgage fraud masterminded by one of his co-defendants. Fraud had involved purchase and sub-purchase of exclusive properties in London. Alleged that Corteen must have known of the fraud and that he had acted for both vendor and purchaser in some cases where both vendor and purchaser were fictitious characters. Tribunal said it was clear Corteen had fallen into the trap of going along with a fraudulent client.
Paul Andrew Bradford, 46, admitted 1976, practising at material time as Paul Bradford & Co, Bristol, with offices at Bedminster, Bristol and Taunton, fined £500. Allegations substantiated he failed to keep proper accounts and wrongly drew client money.
Rodney Hylton-Potts, 52, admitted 1969, practising at material time on his own account in Knightsbridge, London, struck off. Allegations substantiated he was convicted at Southwark Crown Court on 12 July 1996 of four counts of conspiracy to defraud and was jailed for five years on each. He was additionally disqualified under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 for seven years. Tribunal told offences were committed in the course of a mortgage fraud. Hylton-Potts was tried with two co-defendants and said by the trial judge to be a "ruined man". Hylton-Potts has disposed of his practice, but 15 applications against the Law Society Compensation Fund totalling some £60,000 are said to be pending. In a letter before Tribunal, Hylton-Potts said he had entered an insolvency arrangement and had been sued by the bank against whom the fraud had been perpetrated for £800,000.
