A Selby solicitor who refused to pay a former client £400 compensation was in shock today after being struck off.

Michael Bebb was also said to have misled another customer over a court case and ignored letters from other legal firms demanding prompt action for their clients.

Bebb, 49, who runs a one-man firm in New Lane, Selby, told the Solicitors' Disciplinary Tribunal in London that the mistakes had happened during a "difficult" period when he was snowed under with work.

But the tribunal still decided to strike him off the professional roll.

Tribunal chairman Anthony Gibson told him: "We take a serious view of this. You treated one client a little discourteously, and you misled another."

Following the ruling, Bebb looked stunned and buried his head in his hands.

Mr Gibson said: "You failed to realise the seriousness of what was facing you today - am I right?"

The hearing was told two firms of solicitors complained that Bebb repeatedly failed to return documents or files, and failed to answer letters from both companies.

Andrew Miller, for the Law Society, said Bebb's most serious offences related to two clients.

In the first, a woman identified as "Mrs B" complained to the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors about the service she received, and Bebb was ordered to pay her £400 compensation.

Mr Miller said: "That money was not paid and, I believe, remains unpaid today."

The second case involved a man, referred to as "Stanley B", taking civil action against a company in 1998.

Bebb wrote a letter to the client saying there was an application to strike out the case and it would be decided at a further hearing.

But Mr Miller said: "In fact, the claim was effectively struck out before the date this letter was written.

"It was therefore a mis-description to say there was pending an application to strike out the action."

Bebb told the committee he had inherited the cases when he took over the running of another practice and claimed the workload got to him.

He said: "It was never my intention to mislead Stanley B, although the letter was capable of misleading him.

"It was at a time when things just fell behind. But I take full responsibility for these errors."

Bebb, who promised to pay Mrs B's compensation this week, was also ordered to pay £1,224 costs.

Updated: 14:59 Wednesday, April 25, 2001