A DISGRACED solicitor who stole more than £500,000 from 22 clients' wills to cover botched cases was jailed for three-and-a-half years yesterday.

Donald Halling, 54, used £630,000 bequeathed to charities and bereaved relatives to pay off clients whose cases he had mishandled.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how charities such as Cancer Research and The British Heart Foundation lost out.

Halling said he "crossed the line" when he took his heavy workload from the Jarrow office of Patterson Glenton and Stracey to the branch in South Shields, South Tyneside.

For five-and-a-half years, he covered his mistakes using money he was administering on behalf of deceased clients.

He also used a trail of false documents and forged signatures.

Andrew Hatton, prosecuting, said most of the money went to pay compensation to a couple after he botched the handling of a lease on their behalf. Instead of claiming through the firm's insurance company, he paid them £25,000 from his own money and stole £435,000 to cover the rest.

Another client instructed him to seek compensation from a company, and Halling sent a cheque for £17,000, using money from a will.

Halling, of Central Avenue, South Shields, admitted seven specimen charges of theft, 12 of forgery and one of perverting the course of justice. The charges date from 1996 to 2002.

Halling told police he decided to tamper with the wills to allleviate pressure.