Lawyer faces jail over £25k fake loan bid

Paisley Shefiff Court heard Lawrence Rew had found himself on hard times and took advantage of two friends who offered to help him with his financial problems.

Rew, 60, of Victoria Road, Barrhead, had previously been charged with embezzling £47,027.89 from clients of Paisley solicitors, McMahon, McFadyen & Co between January 26, 1997 and September 1, 1999.

The Crown accepted his not guilty plea to that charge on the indictment.

However, it was on June 1, 1998, at a property in Paisley Road, Barrhead, that he obtained £25,000 by fraud by pretending to John and Anna McIntyre that he was requiring a personal loan of £10,000.

He showed them a blank Bradford & Bingley mortgage application form bearing no particular sum for a loan to be taken against their home in Kilmory, Isle of Arran.

He induced them to sign the blank form before filling in detailed figures requesting an advance of £25,000, submitting the form to the Bradford & Bingley company and obtaining £25,000 by fraud.

The court was told the Law Society was so concerned when the case was brought to their attention that it issued a repayment from its Indemnity Fund.

Deferring sentence and calling for background reports, Sheriff James Spy told Rew it was a very serious matter for someone from his professional background to have acted in the manner described.

He added that in the circumstances, it had been his own colleagues who had ended up footing the bill as the sum had been paid from the Law Society fund, topped up by the membership.

When the case against him was called in the very court where he used to practice, Rew admitted his guilt.

Defence agent Philip Rooney said his client had been receiving treatment for cancer and other health issues and was attending hospital on regular occasions for check-ups.

Sheriff Spy said he would not be able to consider sentencing without first calling for a full background profile.

Sentence was deferred for six weeks.