An Adelaide lawyer who fleeced hundreds of thousands of dollars from two deceased estates has been jailed for nine years.
Stephen Patrick McNamara was found guilty of more than 30 offences, including multiple counts of theft and aggravated theft.
Sentencing him in the District Court on Wednesday, Judge Michael Boylan said the 64-year-old used some of the money to pay his credit card bills, house mortgage and staff wages.
Judge Boylan said the total amount stolen from the two estates was about $850,000 but McNamara actually used $465,000 from one estate to pay the beneficiaries of the second.
He said McNamara's offending was very serious and also involved filing fake court documents as he tried to cover up his crimes.
"It was sustained and involved gross breaches of trust. Breaches of trust in your capacity as a solicitor and a trustee," the judge told him.
"In the end, in your attempts to cover your tracks, you, an officer of the court, set out to deceive the Supreme Court."
Judge Boylan said McNamara continued to maintain his innocence and had shown no remorse.
There was no evidence before the court to explain the offending including why he couldn't cover his personal and business expenses.
The judge said as well as the damage to his victims, McNamara had also lost his reputation, his law firm and his home, and it was an understatement to say his own family had suffered much and would continue to suffer.
"I have no doubt that their hearts are broken," Judge Boylan said.
He jailed McNamara for nine years with a non-parole of five years and six months.
Australian Associated Press
