The SRA has fined and banned an events executive from working in the legal profession after she was caught stealing raffle prizes when working at Bircham Dyson Bell.

Shaneke Rochelle Ellis was employed in the BDB events team from September 2015. The light-fingered exec struck at the firm's Christmas raffle that year, when two cricket tickets were donated by an outside organisation. Ellis lied to the organisation, saying that the tickets had been won by an ex-employee. She gave her own address for the prize, pretending that it was that of the purported winner. 

 

Ellis also awarded herself a spring bonus as she nicked two prizes in a raffle in March 2016. To add to the porkie pies she also told a number of organisations that her husband worked at the firm, when he did not.

The SRA found that Ellis had acted dishonestly and handed down a less-savoury prize in the shape of a £2,000 fine. it also  and ordered that she pay £600 towards the SRA’s costs and ruled that she can't work in the legal profession without the regulator's permission. 

A spokeswoman for BDB said "we note the SRA’s decision in relation to a former employee in the Events Team at the firm. We took swift action to dismiss the employee as soon as her dishonest behaviour came to light and cooperated fully with the SRA. We will not be providing further comment on this matter.”

Ellis joins the rogue's gallery of staffers who didn't enter into the spirit of office-organised-fun.