Thieving lawyer gets seven years for taking £1.4m

A DISGRACED solicitor "motivated by greed" has been jailed for seven years for stealing £1.4m from his firm to fund a luxury lifestyle.

Simon Morgan, 50, was a senior partner and his wife Ann office manager at Milners in Leeds, when they plundered the firm's office and client accounts over two-and-a-half years to finance their high living.

They took company money to pay for expensive family holidays abroad, flights by private jet and meals at top restaurants while using cash due to clients to help to pay for a Ferrari and Lamborghini.

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Morgan, 50, recently of Main Street, Bilbrough near York, was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court earlier this month on six charges of theft between January 2002 and July 2004.

Appearing yesterday for sentence at Bradford Crown Court he was told by Judge James Goss QC it was a bad case involving substantial sums of money over a long period "purely to lead an extravagant lifestyle."

He said Morgan's dishonesty was "motivated by greed" and had undermined his profession in which trust and honesty played an integral role.

"These offences in their totality represent a persistent and entirely selfish betrayal of the trust of your fellow partners and staff as well as clients of Milners."

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At one stage his colleagues were led to believe the business was struggling financially and were persuaded to take out loans and to cut down their drawings to improve the situation, at time when Morgan and his wife were continuing to take money from the firm.

The judge said Morgan "spun a web of lies" about his wife's health claiming she was having treatment for cancer on trips to London and New York when they were just going away on holiday.

Ann Young Morgan, 55, was found unfit to stand trial for psychiatric reasons but the jury decided she did the acts amounting to the six offences. She will be dealt with at a later date after the court heard she suffers from "malignant narcissistic preoccupation."

During the trial, the jury heard that when new partners Giles Ward and Simon Bass joined Milners they agreed to Mrs Young Morgan being office manager because they were told she had qualifications as a solicitor and accountant when she had neither.

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She then not only drew a substantial salary but used her position to steal "huge" amounts of the firm's money, covering up with false documents. Company cheques were used to pay credit card bills run up for hotels, designer clothes and meals at the couple's favourite restaurants including Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire and the Box Tree at Ilkley.

Their high living also included in 2003 a family holiday for five to Antigua costing more than 20,000 and a skiing trip in the Alpine resort of Courchevel including a flight to France by private jet from Leeds Bradford Airport, while money was also spent refurbishing The Manor in Alwoodley, Leeds, which became their home.

Simon Myerson, QC, for Morgan, who qualified as a solicitor in 1986, said the money had now been repaid. He was ruined professionally and destitute.

The judge commended Detective Constable Mark Hall for his work on the case.

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After the hearing Det Sgt Pete Langham of West Yorkshire Police's Economic Unit said: "The Morgans' greed and desire for a lavish lifestyle led to others being forced to take a drop in their earnings to make up the deficit in the accounts, showing a clear lack of regard to what effect it would have on others."

Mr Bass said: "We are delighted with the result. The judge clearly got the measure of Simon Morgan and recognised not only his greed but also the impact that has had on us, our staff, our clients and our families.

"Fortunately Milners was a strong underlying business and because of that we have been able to take civil action and trade through. We are grateful to all those who have stood by us and look forward to happier times."

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