Steven Ronald Shepherd, 54, [Pictured] of Prestbury,( SRA No. 130120) Partner at solicitor firm Shepherd Evans was sentenced to three years in jail for eight counts of fraud and one count of false accounting at Manchester Crown Court last Monday.
Shepherd , Partner at Macclesfield-based law firm Shepherd Evans, was responsible for criminal and probate matters.
However, in November 2011, Shepherd’s crimes were uncovered after an external firm of Chartered Accountants carried out a site audit.
The audit found that Shepherd had taken funds from other clients’ accounts.
Shepherd was expelled from the firm and Cheshire Police subsequently conducted an investigation after Mr Evans notified them.
It was also found that he had falsified documents and cheques to conceal how he had misappropriated the funds, where the money was used to pay for his personal tax liability as well as for his own uses.
Shepherd had misappropriated just over £145,117 from seven victims, including a high value civil case, where the full amount of money was not paid to the claimant.
“Shepherd’s misappropriation of funds has caused a great deal of upset for the families who trusted him to manage their personal affairs with respect and dignity, it has also caused a large amount of stress for Shepherd’s ex-partner in the law firm, Mr Evans, who was completely unaware of Shepherd’s criminal behaviour,” commented Detective Constable Anthony Condon from the Cheshire Police Economic Crime Unit.
"Foremost, any victim of a crime such as this will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated, with the needs of the victim as our main priority.
Picture – Courtesy of Cheshire Police
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