Solicitor who stole from client accounts is jailed

Gill Radford, a mother-of-six, was a partner with Bexhill-based Shuttleworths when she pinched the money from the estate of a Mr and Mrs Duggan.

The 54-year-old solicitor was caught out writing cheques to herself when the cash should have gone to clients of the solicitors' firm.

Radford, of High Street, Horam, was working in the probate department of the firm when she carried out the crimes between June 2001 and November 2002.

Lewes Crown Court heard how she committed the offences after the family was plunged into spiralling debt - and she saw no way out of their money worries.

She now faces having to sell the family home to repay the outstanding debt to the solicitors' firm.

Radford, whose father and grandfather had been solicitors before her, admitted charges of theft and attempted theft.

Judge Richard Hayward jailed Radford for nine months and made a compensation order for 33,533 - the balance of the outstanding debt.