Umar Kankiya, 40, from Chafford Hundred, Grays, has confessed to cheating his law firm out of more than £14,000 with over 120 fake travel expense claims. The Basildon Crown Court heard the former Sternberg Reed LLP lawyer submitted bogus expenses while handling legal aid cases.
Phantom Trips to Mental Health Facilities
Kankiya racked up fraudulent claims for:
- 86 fake journeys to Sevenacres mental health unit on the Isle of Wight worth over £12,000
- 31 bogus trips to St Ann’s Hospital, costing more than £1,500
- 7 false visits to Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire, totalling £500+
Although extra charges involving forged bank statements and ferry bookings were dropped by the CPS, they remain on record.
Trusted Lawyer’s Fall From Grace
Sternberg Reed chairman Ben Thomas revealed the fraud was uncovered during a tough internal investigation led by CEO Kelly Rotheram. He stressed:
“There has been no financial prejudice to clients of Sternberg Reed nor the Legal Aid Agency.”
Thomas added:
“He specialised in representing those detained in psychiatric hospitals across England and Wales. He has been a Law Society committee member and was at the time a respected and trusted colleague. That trust has been broken.”
Judge Warns Jail Is Likely
Judge Shane Collery KC gave Kankiya a stark warning: “There is a high risk of custody. I think he needs to be prepared for that.”
The lawyer, who mainly worked on mental health and capacity law, must undergo a probation pre-sentence report before sentencing on December 22. He is currently out on bail.
