Ex-solicitor jailed for fraud after stealing £85k from two vulnerable elderly clients.
A solicitor who plundered tens of thousands of pounds from two elderly clients has been banned from the profession for life.
Alison Griffiths, 56, was officially struck off the roll after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) considered her convictions for fraud by abuse of position. The Swindon-based lawyer was jailed for two years in February 2024 after admitting she stole more than £85,000 while acting under lasting powers of attorney.
The tribunal’s decision means she will never work as a solicitor again.
Griffiths had been entrusted to manage the finances of her victims — a 94-year-old woman with dementia and an 80-year-old man who has since died. Instead, she siphoned away their money for herself.
From the first victim, Griffiths stole £49,482.52 over a three-year period. Between 2018 and 2021, she regularly moved money from the woman’s bank account to her own and withdrew cash directly from ATMs. The woman had no family to oversee her affairs and was unable to track her finances, leaving her wholly exposed.
Even while police were investigating that case, Griffiths continued to target another client. From the second victim, she stole £35,790, continuing her thefts even after being reported to police in 2021. The man’s family discovered the fraud when his care provider flagged a missed payment due to insufficient funds. By September 2021, they alerted officers, who uncovered the shocking truth: Griffiths had been draining his account since March that year.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe former solicitor admitted both counts of fraud by abuse of position at court. In sentencing remarks cited by the Tribunal, the judge emphasised the vulnerability of her clients, especially the elderly woman who had dementia and no relatives to safeguard her interests. He branded Griffiths’ actions a grave betrayal of trust.
Wiltshire Police said the impact on both victims and their families was devastating. Detective Constable Dominic Maidment described the crimes as “awful” examples of how fraud “can and does devastate families”. He added:
“Griffiths was appointed power of attorney to protect these individuals and act in their best interests. Instead, she shamelessly stole from them. In one case, her thefts left no money available to pay for the victim’s care. That is appalling. I hope this sentencing and the Tribunal’s decision send a clear message that such offences will be pursued relentlessly.”
The SDT, reviewing her case in September 2025, concluded that Griffiths’ dishonesty struck at the very heart of public trust in the legal profession. It ruled that her misconduct was fundamentally incompatible with continuing to practise law. Striking her from the roll was, in its words, the only proportionate sanction.
Griffiths’ removal is permanent. The Tribunal emphasised that the role of a solicitor carries a duty to safeguard vulnerable clients, not exploit them. By abusing her powers of attorney, she had inflicted lasting damage not only on her victims but on the reputation of the profession as a whole.
Her case underscores the critical importance of the protections built into the Equality Act 2010, the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules, and criminal law. When professionals betray their obligations, regulators and courts have shown they will act decisively to ensure the public is safeguarded.
For the victims’ families, however, the punishment comes too late to undo the harm. One victim has died; the other endured exploitation in her final years. For Griffiths, once a practising solicitor with responsibility for safeguarding the vulnerable, the judgment marks the end of her career and her reputation.