A DISGRACED Greenock lawyer who ripped off his clients by more than £200k by setting fees of up to 7,000 per cent above legitimate rates has avoided prosecution.

William Murnin had been charged with allegations of fraud during his time as senior partner of the Murnin McCluskey law firm, for which he was in sole charge of the company's Inverclyde office.

Murnin — whom the Telegraph revealed on Monday has been struck off for professional misconduct — previously appeared in court on petition, making no plea to the allegations.

But it has now emerged that the case is no longer being pursued.

The Crown Office confirmed yesterday that Murnin, of Finnart Street, is not facing prosecution despite being found guilty of wrongdoing by the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal.

A spokeswoman for Scotland's prosecution service said: "There are no active cases for him."

We revealed earlier this week how Murnin had been found to have systematically overcharged his clients in 17 fraudulent transactions.

In one case — where he was dealing with a deceased woman's estate — he billed for £73,280 instead of the correct figure of £1,066.

He was reported to the financial compliance department of the Law Society of Scotland by colleagues at his law firm in 2010.

Following a video conference hearing last November, the tribunal recently published its guilty findings on Murnin.

The tribunal ruled that he 'knowingly issued fee notes and took funds from client ledgers which were unjustified and excessive'.

It was discovered that he had overcharged clients by £217,478

The Tele approached Murnin following the verdict and gave him the opportunity to respond but he has so far not made any comment.