A senior solicitor has been fined £15,000 after she was hauled in front of a tribunal for failing to disclose two driving convictions.
Helen Hancock (57-year old Cardiff resident) was unstable on her feet and smelled of alcohol after driving erratically and almost colliding on a roundabout. She eventually hit another car in November 2019.
After more than thirty years as a lawyer, she continued her journey. She later declined to use the breathalyzer when she was arrested. She was later convicted at Cardiff Magistrates Court of failure to stop after an accident and failure to provide a specimen of breath.
A suspended sentence was issued to the mother-of-2 and she was prohibited from driving for four-years. She failed to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
The regulator was also not notified of her drunk driving conviction in 2014.
Now, she has been slapped with a £15,000 fine and ordered to pay £1,286 costs after a Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal criticised her for being a ‘danger to the public’.
Cardiff-based Helen Hancock, 57, was convicted at Cardiff Magistrates Court of failure to stop after an accident and failure to provide a specimen of breath
Cardiff-based Hancock – who has a first class law degree from Bristol University – qualified in 1988 and worked her way up to partner at leading international law firm Simmons & Simmons as an expert in banking and finance.
After joining Bristol Water as director for legal affairs in May 2019, she was promoted to company secretary and holds an unconditional practising certification.
The tribunal heard in October 2014 Hancock was convicted of drink driving at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, was fined £2,000 and banned from the roads for 12 months.
She didn’t tell her regulator, however, the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Her troubles resurfaced in November 2019.
A member of the general public called police on November 13, after seeing Hancock’s vehicle driving in danger.
An tribunal report stated that Hancock had been seen driving across the road, including to the wrong side and narrowly missing curbs. Hancock also stopped at the middle of the road.
“Hancock was just inches away from colliding into a wall while driving on a roundabout. A few seconds later Hancock struck a nearby vehicle, causing serious damage that caused Hancock’s car to crash into it.
Hancock drove round the vehicle that was damaged and continued on her way. Hancock was described by officers as intoxicated and unsteady, with a strong odor of alcohol.
A suspended sentence was handed to this mother-of-2 and she was prohibited from driving for the next four years. She failed to notify the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The regulator also did not report her drunk driving conviction from 2014.
After refusing to give a sample of her breath, she was convicted by Cardiff Magistrates Court for failure to stop following an accident and failing to supply a specimen.
A suspended sentence was handed to the mother-of-two and she was prohibited from driving for four year. She failed again to report this to her regulator.
For her behavior, the tribunal criticized an experienced lawyer.
According to the report, a solicitor should comply with all lawful requests made by law enforcement officers.
“A member of public wouldn’t expect a solicitor be convicted or act in such a manner that it constitutes a crime.”
Hancock claimed that she suffered from an alcohol addiction and had used booze as a way to “ease the symptoms” of her mental illness.