A heartbroken sister says a woman who pretended to be a solicitor to deceive her dad and brother is a “charlatan”.
Sian Jacobs was sentenced to time in prison after she fraudulently posed as a solicitor and used “intimidation” to pursue money from trusting “clients”.
Now, the sister and daughter of two of Jacobs’ victims, has described the 51-year-old as a “calculating” person with “criminal intent”.
At her sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on July 17, almost eight years on from when her first offence was committed, Judge Julian Smith questioned how Jacobs had believed she had the qualifications to be a solicitor, even though she didn’t.
The court heard from her defence solicitor, John McNally, who explained that this belief could be partly motivated by her mental health, but that to some degree she must have some legal knowledge as she “knows too much about family cases”.
He said: “There was a genuine and complete belief all the way through.”
But Judge Smith said: “As soon as you know you are not a solicitor, then to do it again and again, does not seem to me to be an understandable piece of conduct.”
He also explained how the offence was aggravated by her persistence in obtaining money and chasing her victims for funds with “heavy handed” tactics.
His retired father, Rodney Capeling, was then duped into forking out more than £5,000 for her supposed skills and was left feeling “uneasy, suspicious and used”.
But sadly both men have since died without seeing the bogus lawyer being finally brought to justice.
On July 17, Jacobs was given a custodial sentence totalling two years and 8 months and was told she would serve 40% or at least half of it.
However, due to spending 946 days on a tag, 473 of these were qualifying curfew days which were taken off the sentence so Jacobs walked free from court.
Addressing the defendant, the judge said: “These are serious, grave matters that mean the world to those that are affected by them.”
“You were playing a lawyer in front of an expert and professional.”
The sister and daughter of Craig and Rodney, told KentOnline she was pleased with the outcome, as Jacobs was finally forced to take accountability for her actions.
The relative, who did not want to be named, said: “She is a calculating scumbag. She had criminal intent all the way. She did this for financial gain.”
She explained the fear Jacobs’ pursuit of funds had caused the family, and called the defendant a “charlatan”.
She berated the “audacity” of Jacobs to pose as a solicitor and added that the stress caused had contributed to her father’s death.
The court heard how at a hearing at Maidstone Family Court on September 12, 2017, the fraudster was immediately challenged by the judge as to who she was, only for Jacobs to brazenly reply “I’m a solicitor”.
She also represented individuals at Canterbury magistrates’ court and at Plumstead police station in south east London.
On that occasion, her “client” had requested her services after he had been arrested on suspicion of assault.
Jacobs even sent photographs to police of the alleged victim in her underwear in what “could only have been to undermine” the complainant, explained the prosecutor, Hannah Williams.
However, it was not until July 2020 that she was arrested, telling officers when interviewed that she had bipolar and “huge blanks” in her memory.
The judge commented on the unusualness of the case, calling her behaviour “erratic” and “utterly bizarre”.
He added: “It would be crying out to any of us if we saw it happen before us, as it did with the judge at the time.”
Jacobs, of Silver Birch Road in Dereham, Norwich, had previously pleaded guilty to four offences of being an unqualified person acting as a solicitor between September 1, 2017 and January 12, 2018, and one of fraud committed between September 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018.
The court heard how Jacobs had told Mr Capeling to pretend to strangle himself with shoelaces at Medway police station, which he did, and he was put under supervision.
The judge continued: “To suggest a man should pull chords around his neck, it would be unusual for anyone ever to make any such recommendation to a member of the public or anyone. It’s nothing to do with legal representation.”
Judge Smith reiterated the skills and hard work that go into being a lawyer, and how the public should be able to trust and put faith in one.
Jacobs hung her head in shame and looked visibly upset as the judge handed down his sentence.
She was ordered to pay back compensation at a rate of £200 a month for 12 months.
A five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order, which imposes restrictions on an individual’s activities, was also imposed.
