Struck off solicitor set to fight tribunal

A SOLICITOR who was jailed for defrauding the Legal Aid Board by making false claims for advice given to prostitutes was struck off the register last week

John Shepherd, who ran two firms in Liverpool before serving his three-year sentence, appeared before the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal on 6 June.

He claims the panel of two solicitors and one lay member refused to hear his evidence and now plans to challenge the tribunal's decision.

"I am going to put an appeal in on a point of law to the divisional court," Shepherd says.

He adds: "What they have done is in breach of their regulations."

Shepherd was convicted at Manchester Crown Court two years ago on 15 specimen charges of obtaining or attempting to obtain fee payments by deception, forgery and false accounting.

The prosecution said he specialised in advising prostitutes through his practices, Munro's and Shepherd's, but used the green form scheme to defraud thousands of pounds out of the board.

Shepherd, did not appeal against the court's decision and has now completed his sentence, but still maintains he did nothing wrong.