VICTIMS of a solicitor who swindled grieving relatives out of many thousands of pounds today branded him a grave robber.

As crooked Philip Pressler was blasted for ruining lives after stealing £600,000, the Law Society revealed it was trying to recover thousands of pounds from him.

And the woman who first raised the alarm about Pressler's activities today called for tighter legislation governing solicitors dealing with wills and the estates of recently-deceased people.

Dr Sandi Hoyland added: "He has ruined lives and broken the natural trust people have with their solicitor."

Roy Barnes, whose mother June was among Pressler's victims, today said: "I can't describe how angry the whole thing has made me.

"My mother saved all her life and the money she left behind was everything she and my dad worked for in their lives and she trusted Pressler to do as she wanted.

"It is like robbing from graves, stealing from the dead, and it's disgusting to think someone can act like that, knowing that they are in a position in trust."

Pressler, 52, of Whittle Stone Head, Darwen, was jailed for five years last week after pleading guilty to 36 counts of theft and asking for another 11 to be considered. All took place between 1991 and 2001 and largely involved taking money from estates Pressler was administering as senior partner at Darwen solicitors Hindle, Son and Cooper, in Church Street.

Crimes included taking £20,000 from a cancer victim in 1998, stealing £28,000 to buy a house in Tenerife and attempting to use £50,000 to buy shares in bookmakers William Hill.

And cash grieving relatives thought had been paid to charity was actually put into private accounts.

Dr Sandi Hoyland was the first to raise concerns with police and the Law Society.

The solicitor administered the estate of her father, John Hacking, and had right of attorney over it as his mental health had begun to fail.

Dr Hoyland said: "He has received five years in prison. I feel I have already served a five-and-a-half year sentence just waiting for something to happen.

"Over time, I came to have concerns about what he was doing, just from things he said after my Dad died.

"It is very hard to get the legal profession to take you seriously when you accuse a solicitor of something.

"Probate and power of attorney are probably the only two areas where solicitors can work in total isolation and Pressler exploited that, stealing all that money for his own lavish lifestyle.

"There needs to be tougher penalties for solicitors who abuse their position and a better way for people to make complaints."

Another victim was Jane Barnes, who had asked Pressler to look after her estate before she died, aged 89, in 1998.

A total of £12,000 was switched from her account to one administered by Pressler when he had told relatives it had gone to charity. The money was later handed over to charity but only after money was switched from other estates.

Detective Sergeant Graham Norris, from Lancashire Police's major crime unit, said: "In many cases, he robbed Peter to pay Paul just to cover his tracks."