SDT found Roddan gave false assurances and misused client funds, leading to his removal from the roll

SDT concluded his dishonesty and misconduct made him unfit to remain a solicitor

A solicitor who issued false assurances, allowed his firm’s client account to be misused as a banking facility and lied to his regulator has been struck off the Roll. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) found that Matthew Garnett John Roddan engaged in misconduct at the highest level, with dishonesty at its core, and that only removal from the profession could protect the public and preserve confidence in the law.

Roddan, admitted in 1995 and formerly practising at Eastleys Solicitors in Paignton, Devon, failed to attend his hearing in May 2016. The Tribunal proceeded in his absence, noting that he had de-instructed his lawyers and had directly confirmed he would not appear. The case centred on his dealings with dubious investment schemes and the misuse of Eastleys’ client account to move millions of pounds in transactions that had no underlying legal basis.

The SRA alleged multiple breaches of professional principles, including failing to act with integrity, compromising his independence, taking unfair advantage of third parties, and failing to cooperate with investigators. At various points Roddan issued letters to investors and families that gave false undertakings, falsely stated that he represented companies such as PCL, and provided “letters of comfort” that misled recipients into believing their investments were safe. The Tribunal concluded that some of these letters were not just reckless but knowingly dishonest, as Roddan made representations he knew he could not justify.

The investigation revealed that more than £796,000 from one family alone passed through the firm’s client account in early 2013. The money was transferred to a Hong Kong account, despite the fact that neither the family nor the company in whose name Roddan was acting were genuine clients of the firm. Similar patterns followed with other investors, including sums totalling more than £1.3 million received from individuals on behalf of companies LR and CR, as well as hundreds of thousands in US dollars routed through Eastleys’ accounts without proper reconciliation. The Tribunal found these transactions amounted to providing unlawful banking facilities, a serious breach of the Accounts Rules.

When pressed by the SRA for documents, Roddan claimed that files had gone missing in the post or been misplaced by investigators. The Tribunal rejected these explanations, pointing to his own emails in which he admitted he had scanned copies. It concluded that his assertions were implausible, dishonest and designed to conceal his own wrongdoing.

In its judgment, the SDT said Roddan had shown a blatant disregard for his duties, exploited the trust placed in solicitors and compounded matters by misleading both clients and his regulator. While it accepted that he did not begin acting dishonestly from the outset, the Tribunal found that at key points he crossed the line. By knowingly issuing false assurances to investors and families, he had acted dishonestly by the standards of reasonable and honest people and had known he was doing so.

Assessing sanction, the Tribunal said the misconduct was aggravated by repetition, by the sums involved and by the attempt to frustrate regulatory oversight. The harm extended beyond the immediate risk to clients, striking at the reputation of the legal profession itself. With no meaningful mitigation offered, and only limited admissions of failings, the Tribunal concluded that nothing short of striking off could suffice.

Roddan was ordered to be struck off the Roll of Solicitors and to pay £27,786 in costs. The SDT underlined that his removal was the minimum necessary response to conduct that undermined public trust in the profession and demonstrated an intolerable lack of integrity.