THIEVING coroner Jeremy Cave, who plundered £155,000 from the estates of dead clients, was yesterday barred from practising as a solicitor.

The 53-year-old was struck off at a Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal in London after he was jailed for three-and-a-half years for overcharging grieving relatives by as much as 250 per cent as he wound up estates.

Cave, who is the former coroner for North Yorkshire West, was convicted last month at Teesside Crown Court.

He was a solicitor for more than 20 years, with an office in Thirsk market place, and was regarded as a pillar of society.

Andrew Miller, representing the Law Society, told the hearing: "Round sum transfers of substantial amounts at regular intervals were discovered.

"The case is one of a solicitor overcharging estate matters in a wholly unjustified manner."

A Law Society investigation began after the family of Donald Dowson received a "grossly inflated" bill of £6,000. Investigative accountants later seized documents, the over-inflated fees were discovered and North Yorkshire Police Fraud Squad was called in.

The estate of Ethel Johnson was overcharged by £88,420, and that of Harry Manning by £38,925.

The tribunal was told that vulnerable people, grieving for dead relatives and friends, were targeted by Cave, who brought disgrace on himself, his family and the profession.

Long-standing clients and family friends were among those he deceived. All the victims have submitted claims to the Solicitors Compensation Fund, and two have been paid.

Cave, who suffered a heart attack days after being jailed, is serving his sentence at Holme House Prison, Stockton. He did not appear before the tribunal.

The married father-of-two, who formerly lived at Croft Heads, Balk, but moved to Front Street, Sowerby, near Thirsk, denied ten theft charges between 1990 and 2000. He was found guilty of six charges and cleared of one further count.

The judge ordered the three remaining charges to lie on file.

He told the court: "If anything I may have been incompetent but I'm not a thief."

Cave was appointed as North Yorkshire's western district coroner in 1997 but was suspended from his duties in June 2001.