A solicitor…
has been struck off the roll for stealing a pair of sunglasses.
DAC Beachcroft lawyer, Anna-Louise Butcher, was caught stealing a pair of Prada sunglasses worth £154 from a duty-free shop at Stansted airport in 2012.
She received a caution for theft, but decided to keep it to herself after police said it was a minor matter. Butcher kept her secret until her firm circulated a compliance questionnaire which required the disclosure of any cautions and convictions in order to renew her practising certificate.
At the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, several DAC partners gave evidence on her behalf and Butcher's representative argued that the crime was committed in a "moment of madness", brought on by depression caused by long hours and the departure of colleagues from DAC during its merger with Beachcroft.
The tribunal conceded that Butcher's was "a very sad case", but ordered her removal from the roll as it believed theft is a serious offence. Butcher had left her firm and career as a solicitor before the judgment. She is now a legal recruiter.