A solicitor who stole nearly £360,000 of clients' money has been jailed for four years.

Andrew Borchert's victims included an 85-year-old woman suffering from senile dementia, an 80-year-old widow, and relatives of several people who had died.

Over a five-year period he took money from clients' accounts and used it for his own business or to fund an expensive lifestyle, Bradford Crown Court heard.

He also used some of the money to pay his contributions to the solicitors indemnity fund and to help another company of which he was a director.

Borchert, 54, of Low Mill Lane, Addingham, Ilkley, admitted 15 offences of theft and asked for a further 11 to be taken into consideration.

Mr Dalziel said Borchert, who became a solicitor in 1968, set up his own practice in 1986 at an address in Clifton Villas, Manningham, Bradford.

Under rules designed to protect clients' money, solicitors had to set up designated accounts. From 1988 onwards Borchert's firm appeared to be in financial difficulty and the following year he began dishonestly using clients' money.

He would transfer money from clients' accounts to that of his firm, withdraw money directly, or charge clients excessive legal fees and pay them to himself.

In one case, while acting as sole executor for a woman who had died in 1989, he failed to carry out her wishes that her £65,000 estate should be divided equally between the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council and the Methodist Homes for the Aged. The first charity received much less than it should have and the other did not get a penny, the court heard.

His dishonesty came to light in 1994 when the son of a woman who had died complained that her estate had not been fully distributed.

The Law Society was called in and closed down the practice. Borchert was struck off the following year and was later made bankrupt.

Several complainants had since had their losses made good through the Law Society and others were still being processed, said Mr Dalziel.

James Stewart QC, mitigating, said it had taken "great personal misfortune'' to make Borchert betray his clients.

"He is totally finished, ruined, living off State benefits and the grace and favour of loved ones,'' said Mr Stewart.

Passing sentence, Recorder John Milford QC described the thefts as "gross, persistent and cynical breaches of trust.''

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