A law firm employee who did not disclose he had been convicted of possessing indecent images of children has been barred from the profession.
According to a Solicitors Regulation Authority notice published this week, Mark Sinclair had been employed by international firm Ashurst as a learning and development manager based in its London office when he was convicted.
In February 2021, Sinclair pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent relating to categories A, B and C over the course of more than six years. It was reported at the time he was caught with 45 images on various devices, with category A being the most serious.
He worked for Ashurst between February 2019 until October 2021, and the SRA said that he failed to tell the firm about his conviction.
Sinclair, from Sheffield, had been charged after police seized three computers from his home. He was sentenced to a two-year community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 40 days. He was also made subject to the sex offenders register for five years.
The SRA ruled that Sinclair should no longer be allowed to work in the legal profession based on the seriousness of his conviction and the length of time it occurred. He was also ordered to pay the SRA’s £600 costs.
In a statement, an Ashurst spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm that, while working at Ashurst, Mr Sinclair was convicted of offences which took place prior to his employment at the firm. As soon as the firm became aware we conducted a thorough investigation, which resulted in dismissal.’
