UK: Former solicitor jailed for defrauding clients of £1.7m ordered to pay back £3,000

A British former solicitor who was jailed for defrauding clients has been ordered to pay back just £3,312.45 – despite benefiting more than £3m from his crimes. Christopher Bilmes, 46, appeared via video for the short hearing at the Lewes Crown Court. 

Bilmes, who was the sole partner and founder of Bilmes Law LLP practising in conveyancing and family law, spoke only to confirm his name and thank the judge at the end of the hearing.

The now struck-off solicitor, admitted in 2004, pleaded guilty to seven charges of fraud last year and was sentenced to 56 months’ imprisonment.

Between November 2014 and October 2017, Bilmes dishonestly appropriated £1,767,322 from the client account at Bilmes Law. The court previously heard that Bilmes’ fraud came to light in October 2017 when the firm stopped trading and the Solicitors Regulation Authority intervened.

The court heard today Bilmes benefited by £3,196,585.12 from the fraud but his available assets amounted to £3,312.42.

His honour judge Mooney said: ‘Benefit of £3m and assests of £3,000. What has happened to the rest of it? It was quite a long running fraud…and generated a huge amount of money. I just cannot begin to understand where it has gone in a way which is not consistent with hidden assets.’

The judge described the amount of assets available as ‘surprising’.

Jessica Goldring, prosecuting, told the court that Bilmes had a second business which he was putting money into.

The judge agreed the figures agreed between the parties and ordered that Bilmes pay £3,312.42 within four months. He also ordered that compensation be paid out of the £3,312.42. The court heard the compensation would be paid to the SRA and a loan company.

The SRA compensation fund had, as of January last year, received claims from 52 clients with a total value of £3.9m and the regulator had paid 30 of those totalling £2.65m.