A FORMER Dorset solicitor has been jailed for five years and ordered to pay court costs of £18,000 after being found guilty of fraud.

Ian Charles Macfarlane had denied six charges of fraud by false representation but was convicted of five of them following an 11-day trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Macfarlane, aged 56, of West Street, Winterborne Kingston, who was struck off as a conveyancing solicitor in Blandford in 2006, had been under investigation since 2011. 

The court heard that he identified freeholds of properties, mainly in the London area, where he recognised that the freeholder had been missing or absent.

He then falsified documents to the land registry in order to transfer properties into the name of his company, Kingston Property Management, or other false names.

In order to do this Macfarlane broke the trust of Chester & Co solicitors, who he used the name of in order to process documents through the land registry.

Once he became in control of the freeholds, he was then able to demand ground rent, offer lease extensions and the sale of the freeholds to leaseholders living within each property. He stood to gain in excess of £200,000 had he been successful.

Detective Sergeant Tom Isaac, of Dorset Police, said: “The case started in 2011 and involved a complicated and extensive investigation into the possession of a number of properties.

“I would like to pay tribute to the witnesses in this case – many of whom had to travel from across the country in order to give evidence at court during a prolonged trial.

“I hope this sentence shows that we take allegations of fraud extremely seriously and will bring offenders to justice.”