Solicitor struck off after stealing injury claim payout and fabricating therapy invoices for fake treatments.
Fasar Mahmood, a solicitor based in Huddersfield, has been struck off the Roll of Solicitors after being found guilty of misappropriating client money, forging documents, and lying to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in a shocking case of professional misconduct involving false medical treatments and payments to a company linked to his wife.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) heard how Mahmood diverted £2,555 from a client’s personal injury settlement of £8,500, then paid the money to Core Rehab Ltd, a business account controlled by his wife. The client, known as Client OB, was only told she had been awarded £3,800—less than half her actual settlement.
What followed, the tribunal found, was a carefully staged deception. Mahmood falsified invoices, therapy records, and even a psychological report to justify the payments to Core Rehab—a company that, on paper, provided rehabilitation services for accident victims. But the evidence told another story.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe tribunal was told that OB had never received any treatment, never authorised the deductions, and never even heard of Core Rehab. Despite this, the firm transferred three separate payments to the company—totalling the exact amount Mahmood claimed for physiotherapy, CBT, and a psychological assessment.
Further investigation uncovered that Core Rehab’s Barclays bank account was held in Mahmood’s wife’s name, with their shared residential address listed. From there, the money flowed straight into personal accounts. One of the payments—£4,900—was passed on to Mahmood himself on the same day.
In addition to the theft, Mahmood forged documents to pretend that he had discussed treatment with OB, and that she had agreed to the services. The tribunal said Mahmood “fabricated call notes, invoices, and reports to cover up a dishonest scheme,” noting that these were “not careless acts—they were calculated.”
When questioned by SRA investigators in 2023, Mahmood lied repeatedly, claiming he had no connection to Core Rehab. Yet records showed tens of thousands of pounds in transfers between Core Rehab and his own company, Legalwise Assist Ltd, and over £60,000 paid to him personally via accounts associated with the business.
The SDT called Mahmood’s actions a case of “outright dishonest behaviour”, stating that public confidence in the profession would be severely damaged if he were allowed to continue practising. The tribunal concluded that no penalty short of striking off was appropriate.
In issuing its decision, the Tribunal ordered that Fasar Mahmood be struck off and pay £25,000 in costs. Though Mahmood had admitted to the misconduct and offered apologies via his legal team, he chose not to attend the hearing.
The SRA said that while Mahmood’s admissions came early in the investigation, the “careful and deliberate” nature of his dishonesty—especially where client trust was involved—made the matter “exceptionally serious.”
The tribunal reiterated that solicitors are “guardians of client money and must uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity.” Mahmood’s breaches, it ruled, were fundamental, repeated, and unforgivable.
