A former solicitor who plundered more than £400,000 from clients' accounts was jailed for four-and-a-half years yesterday. Michael Lee (63), of Pund Field, Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire, took the cash over a period of two to three years while principal of Michael Lee & Co, based in Coventry Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. He pleaded guilty to one charge of theft and to forgery. Judge Alan Taylor, sitting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "This is a particularly tragic offence but professional people who steal other people's money, something which in the circumstances of this case it was very easy to do as you were the sole controller of the money, can only be dealt with by severe punishment." He said as well as Lee's dishonesty, the offences had come about as a result of his foolishness and incompetence exacerbated by an addiction to drink. Tracey Lloyd-Nesling, prosecuting, said the offences came to light in 2002 when a representative from the Law Society came to Lee's practice to inspect his books. When asked whether he had any problems, Lee immediately admitted there was a considerable sum of money missing from a client's bank account. He said he had intended to replace the cash he had taken through the sale of the business and that he had used the money to run the practice, including paying staff salaries. Lee also admitted using £19,000 to help purchase a house and that he had previously forged an accountant's signature to authenticate the practice accounts. Miss Lloyd-Nesling said the total amount of money dishonestly taken was £421,852 and that in May last year Lee had been declared bankrupt and his company wound up. Neil Flewitt, QC, defending, said Lee had practised honestly for 30 years but things went wrong for him when he took over another firm in a bid to expand his business. He said Lee found himself "swamped" and took the money to try and help his business keep afloat rather than line his own pockets. Mr Flewitt said Lee's drinking problem had affected his judgment and ability to cope and that he had since been struck off. | 
