A former North Yorkshire coroner found guilty of stealing almost £155,000 from the estates of his dead clients has been struck off the roll, a tribunal heard today.

Jeremy Cave, 53, was barred from practising as a solicitor at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in central London after he overcharged six estates by a total of £154,918.

Cave, 53, of The Grange, Balk, Thirsk, was convicted of six counts of theft from the beneficiaries of dead clients between 1990 and 2000 at Teesside Crown Court on February 6.

The case came to light after the Law Society, which regulates the legal profession, received complaints about bills.

An expert found "gross and unexplainable overcharging" and closed the Thirsk practice, where Cave was sole practitioner, in July 2000, and a police investigation began.

Cave was coroner for the Western Division of North Yorkshire until his suspension in August 2001.

Janet Paraskeva, Law Society chief executive, said: "There are more than 85,000 practising solicitors in England and Wales and in the 12 months to April 2002, 77 solicitors were struck off following investigation by the Law Society.

"The vast majority of solicitors deal with their clients' money properly and do not abuse the trust placed in them.

"As the regulator of solicitors, the Law Society will vigorously investigate any suspicions that solicitors are acting dishonestly."

Cave is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for theft.

Updated: 10:51 Friday, March 28, 2003