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Expert Witness identifies deliberate breaches in mortgage dealing

An expert witness told jurors that breaches made by a solicitor accused of multiple mortgage frauds were, in his view "deliberate".

Expert Richard Hegarty was asked to analyse property files linked to an investigation into Solicitor Benjamin Jason Cornelius

Standing trial at Cardiff Crown Court, 37-year-old Mr Cornelius, denies eight counts of fraud and eight of transferring criminal property. The allegations reflect the "mortgage or remortgage" of eight properties and date back to 2008 when he worked at Swansea-based solicitors W Parry & Co.

The prosecution claim that he acted as a conveyancy solicitor on behalf of a building society and the borrower, to whom he had provided funds to buy four of the properties concerned.

The Crown say this amounted to a conflict of interest and breached regulations, as he is prohibited from acting professionally when he has advanced cash for the said property.

Mr Hegarty stated it was totally fundamental that solicitors adhered to the Solicitors' Code of Conduct. Mr Hegarty also stated that if there is a potential conflict of interest they should not continue to act in the matter, and that Mr Cornelius should not have acted in any of these situations because he clearly had a personal interest.

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