A solicitor who stole more than £1million from a paraplegic Croydon client has been jailed for 10 years today.
Manchester Crown Court heard Thomas McGoldrick had lived a life of "extravagance" on funds stolen from Keith Anderson.
The 59-year-old Cheshire solicitor was convicted of 59 counts of fraud in February.
His client, a Jamaican van driver, was paralysed from the chest down after a road crash in November 1996.
He was awarded £1.8million after Mr McGoldrick's firm, which had a practice in Croydon, won a claim for damages following the accident.
But the court heard McGoldrick took about £1.2million of the money after forging a letter purporting to be from Mr Anderson which said his client wanted him to have half the money.
The solicitor splashed the stolen cash on a new kitchen, a children's climbing frame, and private school fees.
During sentencing Roger Thomas QC said McGoldrick had shown no remorse for his crime by choosing to contest the case.
"You are guilty of serious offending over a long period of time with the very worst breach of trust you can imagine from a professional man," the judge remarked.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said: "McGoldrick abused his position as a solicitor to embezzle funds belonging to the clients of his firm and using the funds for his own gain.
"The bulk of the award was not paid to the victim and McGoldrick did not account for the total funds received on behalf of his client.
"Instead he drew funds from the client account and utilised them for his own purpose "The CPS is pleased that McGoldrick has finally been punished for his actions."
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