Crooked lawyer back in the dock

A CROOKED lawyer has been banged up for fleecing clients out of £19,000.

David Nightingale was jailed for 18 months in what a sheriff said was a “tragedy” for him and the other people involved in his scams.

The 35-year-old had been working as a salesman after losing his job as a criminal defence lawyer when he was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work having stolen £12,500 from a firm in Airdrie.

A CROOKED lawyer who fleeced money from clients then contributed to a parcel firm going bust has been jailed for eight months.

David Nightingale, 35, pocketed almost £20,000 from Prompt Parcel Ltd when he worked as a salesman. Clients of the company – who provide courier services – were given personal bank details by scheming Nightingale only months after he had been in court. When a colleague queried an unpaid invoice it lead back to the disgraced former lawyer.

The company have since folded which the court heard is “partly” to do with the fraudster.

Nightingale, from Cumbernauld, appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court where he admitted embezzling £19, 618 between April and December, 2015 at the com- pany based in Glasgow’s Washington Street.

Passing sentence, sheriff Kenneth Hogg said: “It’s a tragedy for you, it’s a tragedy for a lot of other people.” He said it’s “not a likely option” that money will be repaid and said there was “no option” but to jail him. The court heard that on December 11, 2015 an employee contacted a client of the company about services that had not been paid for.

Fiscal depute Chris Farrell said: “When speaking to the company director the witness was assured that the monies had been paid and provided banking details to vouch for same.

“Following this an internal investigation was convened and it was noticed that a number of payments from clients had been paid directly in to the personal bank account of the accused.”

The sales advisor was contact- ed by text and admitted what he had done. Mr Farrell added: “The accused admitted that he was suffering from a gambling addiction.”

Companies were given Nightingale’s bank details believing that they were Prompt Parcel’s bank details. The court heard that of the thousands embezzled, “some of that” has been repaid and it is believed to be about half of it.

Mr Farrell said: “The company Prompt Parcel Limited has since gone in to liquidation. The Crown understands that’s partly due to the actions of the accused.” Defence lawyer Elaine Rae said Nightingale is still repaying a £7,000 compensation order imposed at another court for earlier crimes.

The solicitor said her client has “racked up an incredible amount of debt through gambling”.

She told the court Nightingale – who appeared from custody yesterday – was sentenced to 31 weeks at Hamilton Sheriff court last week for an earlier crime.

Nightingale voluntarily removed himself from the Scottish roll of solicitors when the offences came to light and the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) has banned him from ever returning to the profession.

In 2014 at Hamilton Sheriff Court, he admitted defrauding clients of £12,500 while working as a criminal defence lawyer at McAfee solicitors in Airdrie between September 2011 and December 2012.

He was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work and pay £7,000 to his victims.

Earlier this year he admitted stealing £8,000 from a client in 2011 while working at a Hamilton law firm and the recent sentence was in relation to this.