Fraudster solicitor’s career in ruins after faking parking permit using felt tip pen
Steven Barker was caught using the fraudulent permit four times after extending his month-long permit by a year
A SOLICITOR faces being struck off after altering the date on a month-long parking permit to make it last a year.
Newly-qualified Steven Barker, 26, was caught four times after using a felt-tip pen to change a 2015 expiry date to 2016.
The permit, used in the seafront car park off Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, had only been meant to last a month.
Barker, of Shirrell Heath, Hants, admitted fraud. Portsmouth crown court gave him a six-month suspended jail term and 150 hours of unpaid work.
Barker, who is now likely to go before a disciplinary tribunal, was told by Judge Ian Pearson: “Effectively you are ruined as far as being a solicitor is concerned.
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"The public expect a higher standard of honesty and integrity from members of the profession and this matter means that you plainly fail to achieve the high standard expected."
Defence lawyer William Mousley said Barker was in poor health and financial difficulty at the time of the offences.
He said: "He is ashamed. This was either a gross error of judgement or an act of complete stupidity and he now has a high price to pay and this will remain with him for a significant period."