Property Fraud unravelled at trial

September 30, 2026

The court has set aside a fraudulent property transaction after a 6-day trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in which Andrew Williams represented the successful claimant.

At trial, after a lengthy cross-examination, evidence had emerged that Lesley Harrison, the sister of the registered proprietor of a property in Derby had deliberately defrauded him by selling his property without his knowledge or authority.  She had signed all the transactional documents in his name, and created and operated a false email account in his name from which she communicated with the conveyancing solicitor purporting to be the property owner.  She had also signed powers of attorney in his name and without his authority.

After making those findings, the court held that Ms Harrison did not have actual or ostensible authority to enter into the transaction on the owner’s behalf. The purported transaction was a nullity conferring no interest in the property on the purchasers even though they had acted in good faith.

Mr Will Jones, Andrew’s instructing solicitor, of Jones & Co Solicitors, said:  “This case involved navigating voluminous evidence and dealing with procedural difficulties, some of which arose unexpectedly during the course of the trial.  Mr Harrison, our client, was hugely relieved by the outcome.”

Paul Harrison v. Simon Levene and others [2026] 9 WLUK 584.  The judgment is available here: https://uk.westlaw.com/Document/I96A29800BC5B11F18F7BDE066D8552C2/View/FullText.html?transitionType=SearchItem&contextData=(sc.Search)