News
Student failed for impersonating a barrister
- 11th December 2009
The student convicted of impersonating a barrister has been jailed at Teesside Crown Court for two years. He was also given an Asbo preventing him from claiming he is legal qualified.
Ian Clegg, a failed law student who bought a wig and gown on eBay, pretended to be a barrister in a string of court cases and claimed to have set up his own chambers. He is thought to be the first person to be convicted of the new offence of “willfully pretending to be a barrister”. Clegg, “a compulsive liar”, admitted the offence and also pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud.
He defended two people on motoring charges and represented firms in debt cases. But the law finally caught up with him when officials became suspicious as he did not know correct court procedure. It emerged he had a history of conning people with previous convictions for dishonestly using a credit card, and running up thousands of pounds of hotel bills claiming he worked for JD Wetherspoon.
Other than one year of a law degree at Teesside University, Clegg has no legal qualifications. A psychiatric report concluded that he needed “long-term psychological work”.
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