Attorney jailed for theft from clients

Middelburg mom to serve an effective eight years

ASMALL-TOWN attorney who stole from one client to pay back another, eventually having to rely on her father-in-law to bail her out, showed no remorse as she was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday.

As Denise van der Ryst, 49, left the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crimes Court to prepare her application for leave to appeal against her conviction, she took with her the reason for the thefts, totalling about R1.4-million.

As far as apologies go, the Middelburg mom of three, director of Denise van der Ryst Attorneys, Conveyancers and Administrators of Estates, would only say she was sorry the complainants had found themselves in the position where they needed to testify in court.

Van der Ryst was convicted of stealing more than R1.4-million from four clients between October 2008 and May 2009.

In October 2008, she was instructed by Hester and J P Steynberg to attend to a further mortgage bond on their Graaff-Reinet home.

The application was successful and the R485 157 requested was paid into Van der Ryst’s trust account, with the specific instruction to pay it over to the Steynbergs.

However, Van der Ryst misappropriated the funds for her personal use.

She was later instructed by J H Strydom to handle the transfer of a Middelburg property.

On December 15 2008, R577 610 was paid into her firm’s trust account to cover the transfer duties and other costs and expenses in respect of the transfer.

However, Van der Ryst immediately transferred R485 157 of the amount into the trust account of J P Steynberg in lieu of the funds due to him.

Similarly, between March and May 2009 she stole R300 000 from clients Pieter and Fransina Marais, and R150 000 from Willem van der Walt and Johannes Kotze. She was convicted on all four counts. In handing down sentence yesterday, magistrate Louis Claassen said it was always more difficult when dealing with an accused with a family.

The children’s well-being needed to be taken into account.

Claassen said it was still unclear why Van der Ryst stole the cash. “You have shown no remorse for your actions to either the court, the complainants or the probation officer.”

He had kept in mind that although a big amount was involved, all the victims received their money back.

Van der Ryst stole from one client to pay back another, and her father-inlaw eventually paid the final amount owed to the last client.

“Your father-in-law suffered the most,” Claassen said.

He sentenced her to an effective eight years in prison. She was released on R5 000 bail pending her application for leave to appeal on August 5.

You have shown no remorse for your actions to the court, the complainants and probation officer