A MERSEYSIDE solicitor was arrested on suspicion of theft.

He was swooped on by police at a magistrates' court.

A Crown Court fees clerk was also arrested as part of the same operation.

Lawyer Daniel Dennis, 38, worked as a partner at law firm Bell, Lamb and Joynson, which has offices in Liverpool city centre and Walton, as well as three others in Cheshire.

He is an advocate with higher rights of audience, meaning he can present cases in Crown Courts. According to The Law Society, he is a specialist in criminal law and fraud cases.

He was the law firm’s main solicitor at Chester Crown Court.

Cheshire Police arrested Mr Dennis, of Richmond Road, Southport, at Halton Magistrates' Court, which is in Halton Lea Shopping Centre, on November 15.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), he officially stopped being a partner at the firm three days later.

The clerk, who worked at Chester Crown Court, was Michael Wootton, of Arnold Grove, Connah’s Quay, in North Wales.

The 45-year-old was arrested on the same day as Mr Dennis and has since been suspended by court bosses.