Jurors told to set aside anger over bank crisis

Jurors in the trial of a former solicitor accused of defrauding banks out of millions of euro have been urged to set aside any anger they might feel towards financial institutions.

Thomas Byrne, 47, has pleaded not guilty to 51 counts of theft, forgery, using forged documents and deception between 2004 and 2007. The charges relate to 12 properties and six banks and involves the alleged theft of €51.8m.

The jury has been told that many of the allegations concern Mr Byrne fraudulently transferring elderly clients’ houses into his own name and then using the properties to secure millions of euro in mortgages.