An ex-Walker Morris litigation executive has received a nine-month suspended jail sentence after being found guilty of stealing more than £11,000 from the firm.

Lynne Morley, who worked in the Leeds firm's litigation department until her dismissal in 2009, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (13 September) after pleading guilty to five counts of fraud.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that the court heard Morley stole the money after her partner withdrew thousands of pounds from her bank account when she allowed him to take control of her finances, leaving her struggling to keep up with mortgage payments.

She told the court that her boyfriend had claimed to be a professional snowboarder, earning money working abroad but was, in fact, jobless.

She became the subject of an investigation at Walker Morris in March 2009, when the firm discovered that payments had been made to people who had no involvement with the firm's cases, including three of her friends and her nephew. She was later arrested in May 2010.

The court also heard that Morley still had around £40,000 worth of debts despite her former home being repossessed and sold.

In addition to the suspended jail term, which was suspended for 12 months, Morley was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

Morley's role at Walker Morris included working with personal injury claims relating to road traffic incidents.

A Walker Morris spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Lynn Morley was an employee at Walker Morris, who was dismissed in 2009 on the grounds of dishonesty. No clients suffered any financial loss as a result."