THE future of the 40-year marriage of a crooked solicitor and his wife is uncertain as she awaits sentence after being convicted of fraud.

Giles Scott has admitted stealing from the accounts of a retired vicar and three other clients of a law firm in York where he was a senior partner.

His wife, Clare, who was a carer for the former priest, had denied joining him in his criminal enterprise to prop up a lifestyle beyond their means.

But she was found guilty unanimously of overcharging the woman for care, groceries and shopping over a five-and-a-half-year period up to January last year.

The jury of eight women and four men also convicted her of two charges of money laundering – moving funds into accounts to pay £8,800 for a car and a £9,000 gift for her daughter.

But they cleared her of a further four charges of transferring criminal property after four-and-a-half hours of deliberating.

During her evidence, Mrs Scott, of Stearsby near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, said she had no idea what was going into and coming out of their joint account or the extent of her husband's debt.

Asked what she thought the keen shooter spent up to £5,500 a month on, she replied: "I thought it would probably be the mortgage, his hobbies and wine."

Mrs Scott said she had never once discussed the thefts, debts or excessive spending with her 63-year-old husband since their arrests a year ago.

The 62-year-old also maintained she had not seen a single statement from their joint bank account, and had not asked him what happened to the money.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Philip Standfast asked if they were still together, and she said: "I'm still living with him at the moment."

The couple were married at All Saints Church in the village of Bransby, North Yorkshire, in 1976 and honeymooned in Cornwall and Henley-on-Thames.

During a seven-day trial, a jury at Teesside Crown Court saw her laugh incredulously as she was asked to look at her husband's credit card bills.

The jury also heard her pledge that she would be confronting him about the missing money, and ended her evidence saying: "Let's hope justice is done."

Scott, a disgraced former partner of Langleys Solicitors, admitted a series of fraud and theft charges against clients at an earlier hearing.

His wife disputed prosecution claims that she levied unreasonable charges for her care work or charging the woman more than once for what she did.

Mr Standfast suggested Mrs Scott could not have been unaware her husband spent £5,977 in one month, and suggested it was to "finance the family lifestyle."

She replied: "The family lifestyle was not excessive. I covered the food and anything like entertaining or presents for anybody. I thought he was just doing the mortgage and the stuff he was doing."

The Scotts will return to court to be sentenced - probably early next month - after background reports have been prepared by the Probation Service.