Regulators have opened an investigation into the involvement of former solicitor Alan Blacker in a legal support charity.
The Charity Commission confirmed it would look into JAFLAS over concerns that Blacker was still acting as a trustee despite being disqualified from doing so.
JAFLAS, based in Rochdale, purports to provide legal advice to help current and former members of the armed forces out of poverty. The charity recorded zero income for the year ending 5 April 2021 and spent £394.
Blacker was disqualified from acting as a trustee or senior manager but as of July 2022 was still listed as a director of JAFLAS and a person of significant control on Companies House records.
The Charity Commission said it will examine the administration, governance and management of the charity, and in particular what role that Blacker played and whether the charity’s objectives are being met and whether it is operating for the public benefit. Acting whilst disqualified has both criminal and civil consequences, the commission said.
The commission stated it has not made any conclusions and the opening of the inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Individuals who are automatically disqualified from trusteeship can apply to the commission for a waiver. Dr Blacker applied for such a waiver, and was rejected. He appealed this rejection to the charity tribunal, and lost that appeal.
Blacker, who previously went by the name Lord Harley, was struck off the roll of solicitors in 2016 after falsely claiming to have academic and other qualifications, including a knighthood and a ranking position in St John Ambulance. In January, he was further banned for at least 10 years from being a legal executive.
Blacker was handed a suspended jail sentence in 2020 after dishonestly claiming disability living allowance of £23,000 over five years. His conviction was secured after he was pictured driving a miniature train.
He came to wider recognition in 2014 after appearing in court as a solicitor-advocate and the judge telling him following a hearing that he looked like ‘something out of Harry Potter’.
