A disgraced solicitor used cash plundered from the estates of 19 dead clients to buy gifts, property and fund his children's education.

John Richard Ingham, 60, was ordered to serve 19 concurrent six year jail sentences at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard how Ingham, a partner in the former law form Barratt Chamberlain, which had offices in Manor Square, Otley, and The Grove, Ilkley, stole more than £1 million from client accounts between 1993 and 2003.

David Dixon, prosecuting, told the court Ingham withheld thousands of pounds from charities, children's hospitals and individual beneficiaries of deceased clients.

He said Ingham used the money to buy his wife a new car, his children a house in London, pay their university fees and pave his driveway.

Money was also used to clear overdrafts in his personal accounts and replace money in other accounts of estates already drained by Ingham, said Mr Dixon.

The court heard how Ingham stole amounts ranging from £5,559 to £218,444.

In one case Ingham, who pleaded guilty to 19 counts of thefts at an earlier hearing, stole £40,000 from the estate of a former partner in the firm, Joshua Greenwood, who had left the sum to help pay for care for his disabled son after he died.

Mr Dixon said Ingham falsified accounts by writing false details on cheque stubs but then made cheques payable to himself.

Ingham retired in 2003 but remained as a consultant.

The thefts were discovered in June 2003 when he asked for an electronic transfer to be paid from one of the estates into his own account. Staff became suspicious and called police.

Mr Dixon said Ingham had plundered £1,070,167.96p from the estates but used more than £300,000 of his own and beneficiaries' cash to cover his deception, leaving the net total gained at £703,003.69p.

He said the Salvation Army had been entitled to "at least £83,116" from one of the estates.

Mr Dixon added the firm, established in 1779, had been forced to close because the case had destroyed its reputation.

Mitigating Michael Taylor said Ingham regretted his actions and had pleaded guilty at the first possible opportunity.

Mr Taylor told the court Ingham had paid back most of the cash by selling property and other assets and paying into a restitution fund.

He said Ingham blamed high interest rates, his childrens' education and taxes for the thefts.