GLAMOROUS LAWYER DISAPPEARS AFTER £3.6M VANISHED FROM CLIENT ACCOUNTS.

A high-flying lawyer has disappeared after being placed at the centre of an investigation into millions of pounds going missing from clients' accounts.

Deidre Newell-Austin, who set up Austin Law just three years after graduating from law school, has been accused of one of the largest ever frauds investigated by the solicitors' watchdog. British Police are also involved in the probe which centres on the disappearance of £3.6million from at least 15 alleged victims, it was reported.

Mother-of-one Miss Newell-Austin, 39, has denied any wrongdoing but her assets have been frozen and her firm shut down, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Two solicitors employed by the London Metropolitan University graduate are also under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Austin Law, which had premises in Marylebone, north London, was raided in July by authority investigators.

NEWELL'S OFFICE

They found the offices had been cleared out and just 11 case files remained. Miss Newell-Austin is now believed to be abroad. Most of the money was earmarked for property transactions and was supposed to be held only on account by Austin Law, which had a sizeable conveyancing practice.

In a statement on its website, the watchdog gave its reasons for investigating and said a couple claim they have lost £410,000.

It said: 'The Solicitors Regulation Authority has received applications for £3.6 million from alleged victims.

'Zangir and Nazmin Mehrban are apparently victims. Last June, they thought they had bought their dream home. Lawyers acting for them sent £410,000 by bank transfer to Austin Law, which was handling the sale.

'The money should have paid off the vendor's £270,000 mortgage as well as £110,000 of debts borrowed against the house. The rest should have gone to the vendor and on legal fees.'

Mr and Mrs Mehrban said that they moved into their five-bedroom home in east London last summer. In August, they were told bailiffs were threatening to repossess their house because the previous mortgage had not been paid off. 'We are living in fear,' said

Mother-of-three Mrs Mehrban, 41, said: 'We are living in fear. We just feel anxious the whole time. I don't sleep at night. We are just trying to keep the wolves from the door.

'We have a mortgage and we are making repayments but we don't even own the property.'

Lawyers for the Mehrbans have frozen Miss Newell-Austin's assets, and brought High Court cases against the firm's two other solicitors. Miss Newell-Austin's lawyers told The Sunday Telegraph last week they could not comment unless authorised to do so by their client.