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| Bogus Italian lawyer Giovanni di Stefano found guilty | Bogus Italian lawyer Giovanni di Stefano found guilty |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A self-styled Italian lawyer has been found guilty of tricking people into thinking he was a bona fide legal professional. | A self-styled Italian lawyer has been found guilty of tricking people into thinking he was a bona fide legal professional. |
| Giovanni di Stefano was convicted of 25 charges including deception, fraud and money laundering between 2001 and 2011. | Giovanni di Stefano was convicted of 25 charges including deception, fraud and money laundering between 2001 and 2011. |
| Di Stefano, 57, of Canterbury, is known as the "devil's advocate" for representing high-profile criminals. | Di Stefano, 57, of Canterbury, is known as the "devil's advocate" for representing high-profile criminals. |
| The ex-Dundee football director has worked with train robber Ronnie Biggs and Saddam Hussein's legal team. | The ex-Dundee football director has worked with train robber Ronnie Biggs and Saddam Hussein's legal team. |
| Di Stefano - whose clients have also included serial killer Dr Harold Shipman and Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic - did not react as the 25 guilty verdicts were delivered at London's Southwark Crown Court. | Di Stefano - whose clients have also included serial killer Dr Harold Shipman and Serbian war criminal Slobodan Milosevic - did not react as the 25 guilty verdicts were delivered at London's Southwark Crown Court. |
| The court heard the 57-year-old had fooled clients out of millions of pounds by presenting himself as a lawyer, despite having no legal qualifications and not being registered to work as an advocate in the UK or Italy. | The court heard the 57-year-old had fooled clients out of millions of pounds by presenting himself as a lawyer, despite having no legal qualifications and not being registered to work as an advocate in the UK or Italy. |
| As part of this pretence, he used the Italian word "avvocato" on business cards, letterheads and documents to ensure his clients and the judiciary were given the impression he was a lawyer. | As part of this pretence, he used the Italian word "avvocato" on business cards, letterheads and documents to ensure his clients and the judiciary were given the impression he was a lawyer. |
| A jury of eight women and four men took four hours and 10 minutes to reach a verdict. | A jury of eight women and four men took four hours and 10 minutes to reach a verdict. |
| It found Di Stefano guilty of nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, eight counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, two counts of using a false instrument, one count of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception, one count of obtaining property by deception and one count of using criminal property. | It found Di Stefano guilty of nine counts of obtaining a money transfer by deception, eight counts of fraud, three counts of acquiring criminal property, two counts of using a false instrument, one count of attempting to obtain a money transfer by deception, one count of obtaining property by deception and one count of using criminal property. |
| A 'nice guy' | A 'nice guy' |
| During the trial, the court was told about Di Stefano's links with President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and his "friendship" with the daughter of Slobodan Milosevic. | During the trial, the court was told about Di Stefano's links with President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe, al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, and his "friendship" with the daughter of Slobodan Milosevic. |
| A BBC documentary from 2004 was also shown to the court, in which Di Stefano spoke of Iraqi leader and war criminal Saddam Hussein as a "nice guy". | A BBC documentary from 2004 was also shown to the court, in which Di Stefano spoke of Iraqi leader and war criminal Saddam Hussein as a "nice guy". |
| During the film, he boasted of being asked to defend killers including Shipman, Jeremy Bamber, Kenneth Noye and Linda Calvey. | During the film, he boasted of being asked to defend killers including Shipman, Jeremy Bamber, Kenneth Noye and Linda Calvey. |
| Di Stefano, who was born in the small Italian town of Petrella Tifernina, moved to Britain as a boy and attended school in Wollaston, in Northamptonshire. | Di Stefano, who was born in the small Italian town of Petrella Tifernina, moved to Britain as a boy and attended school in Wollaston, in Northamptonshire. |