‘Obsessed’ fraudster jailed for claiming to be barrister

A FRAUDSTER who convinced colleagues he was a qualified barrister so he could pursue his “obsession” with a career in the law has been sent to jail.

Scott Willey worked on 18 family law cases before his two-year deception was uncovered.

The 27-year-old had failed to pass the required exams when he accepted a pupillage position at 4 Brick Court legal chambers in July 2016, Inner London Crown Court was told.

He said he had completed the vocational course at City Law School and was expecting to be called to the Bar later that year.

But they were lies designed to cover the fact that he was unqualified for the job, the hearing was told.

In an attempt to cover his tracks Willey, who joined the Temple chambers in October 2017, hacked into a colleague’s email account and stole a copy of a practising certificate, which he then edited to pass off as his own.

He also used another colleague’s legal registration details to set up a legal aid account. Staff began to suspect he had created a fictitious past and the truth was eventually uncovered on June 7 last year after discrepancies in the evidence he had provided about his qualifications came to light.

Willey, of Chatham, Kent, who received £16,000 from 4 Brick for his pupillage and £757.45 towards travel costs was jailed for two years and three months. He had previously admitted three counts of fraud by false representation, making an article for the use in fraud, falsely implying to be a barrister and an offence under the computer misuse act.

Det Con Gary Kearley said: “Willey went to extraordinary lengths to cover up his lack of qualifications and fool a professional chambers of law into hiring him as a barrister.

“Thankfully, his lies were uncovered. He will now have to ponder the consequences of his obsessive pursuit of a career in law from prison.”

One of the cases he was involved in has already had to be re-heard.