Former UK lawyer sentenced for fraud relating to Iraq abuse claims

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LONDON (Reuters) – A former British lawyer who became known for bringing lawsuits on behalf of Iraqi civilians accusing British soldiers of ill-treatment was on Tuesday given a suspended sentence for fraud.

Phil Shiner pleaded guilty in September to three counts of fraud relating to applications made in 2007 for public funding for legal action against the Ministry of Defence.

Following the legal challenge led by Shiner, Britain launched a public inquiry into allegations of atrocities by British troops in 2004, after a battle at the Danny Boy checkpoint in southern Iraq.

Shiner and his firm Public Interest Lawyers, however, were widely criticised and the inquiry ultimately concluded in 2014 that allegations British soldiers executed captured Iraqi prisoners and tortured or seriously abused others were untrue.

Shiner pleaded guilty to failing to disclose, when applying for public funding, that he had asked an intermediary to approach potential claimants and had paid for referrals, which breached his firm’s contract.

He appeared on Tuesday at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Christopher Hehir imposed a sentence of two years in jail, suspended for two years.

Shiner was struck off as a lawyer in 2017 and Hehir said: “You have already suffered professional and personal ruin and I do not consider it is necessary to add to that by sending you straight to prison.”

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Catarina Demony)