A FORMER solicitor who helped to change the ownership of two Dublin properties with fake deeds has been jailed.
Herbert Kilcline, 64, was convicted of eight charges following a trial last November.
He was convicted of two counts of using a false instrument, two counts of failing to keep records, and two counts of the fraudulent procurement of an entry into the Property Registration Authority’s registry.
He was also convicted on two counts of failing to apply the required measures as a designated person.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that people were listed as registered owners although they were not entitled to be.
The offending relates to two properties: one on Phibsborough Road, Dublin, and the other on St Mary’s Road, Dublin 4.
Today Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain said Kilcline was a “key component” in the scheme and abused his position of trust with the Property Registration Authority (PRA).
She said Kilcline’s role was in “no sense peripheral”.
She added that his actions contributed to the losses suffered by the injured parties and had also put the integrity of the land registry system at risk.
Judge Ni Chulachain also said that this may not have been a “deliberate or calculated fraud” on Kilcline’s part, but his actions were reckless and went further than professional negligence.
The judge noted that Kilcline does not accept his actions were criminal and characterises them as professional negligence.
Imposing a two-and-half-year sentence, Judge Ni Chulachain said she had taken into account that custody would be more challenging for Kilcline due to his medical and mental health issues.
