A Leeds solicitor and his wife stole £1.4m from the firm where they both worked to fund a luxury lifestyle, a jury at Leeds Crown Court heard last week.

Simon Morgan, 50, who was senior partner at Milners in Leeds, and his wife Ann Young-Morgan, 55, who was the firm’s office manager, are alleged to have stolen the money from the firm’s company and client accounts between January 2002 and July 2004.

Prosecutors claim the couple used the money to finance an ‘extremely extravagant’ lifestyle, including expensive holidays in Antigua and France, dining at exclusive restaurants, travel by private jet, refurbishing their house and designer shopping.

The court was told that Young-Morgan signed off cheques from the firm, and submitted false receipts to cover where the money was going.

Morgan denies six charges of theft, while Young-Morgan has been found unfit to stand trial for psychiatric reasons. The hearing is expected to continue into January.

A spokesman for the Solicitors Regulation Authority said Morgan remains on the solicitors’ roll and the SRA is monitoring the trial.

Dean Hill, partner at Milners, said that no clients had lost any money.