MAJ Law director Conor Johnstone has been found guilty at Leeds Magistrates’ Court of impersonating a police officer after trying to obtain CCTV footage from a Nando’s restaurant near Warrington.
The conviction could now be considered by the SRA under its rules on criminal conduct, integrity and public confidence in the profession.
The court heard that Johnstone contacted the Nando’s branch in July 2025 and claimed to be a Cheshire Constabulary officer investigating an incident involving two customers. He later sent a written request from an email address designed to appear connected to the force, using a false officer name, badge number and police branding.
Restaurant staff contacted Cheshire Constabulary after becoming suspicious about the request. Police confirmed that the officer did not exist and traced the communication to Johnstone. He denied impersonating an officer and disputed the allegation that he was seeking footage of his former partner, but the magistrates rejected his account and convicted him. He is due to be sentenced in August 2026.
Section 90 of the Police Act 1996 makes it an offence for a person, with intent to deceive, to impersonate a member of a police force or act in a way calculated falsely to suggest that status. Crown Prosecution Service guidance identifies the offence as carrying a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment.
The sentence imposed by the criminal court will be separate from any regulatory decision. The Solicitors Regulation Authority register records Johnstone as a solicitor admitted in March 2016 and working at MAJ Law Limited and PCD Solicitors Ltd. Companies House records him as an active director and person with significant control of MAJ Law. Neither Johnstone nor MAJ Law currently has a published disciplinary or regulatory decision on the SRA register.
The SRA’s enforcement guidance states that criminal offences are investigated because solicitors have a central role in the administration of justice. It says that both the regulator and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal generally treat a certificate of conviction as conclusive proof of guilt, subject to exceptional circumstances. Solicitors must report criminal charges, convictions or cautions, together with conduct bearing on integrity and independence.
Compliance officers and law firm managers must assess any reporting obligations, client communications and whether MAJ Law systems or resources were used. Barristers advising on sentence must distinguish the criminal proceedings from any later regulatory case.
In-house counsel may reconsider panel appointments where an external legal provider is led by a solicitor with a criminal conviction. The sentence and any action by the Solicitors Regulation Authority will determine the professional consequences for Conor Johnstone, MAJ Law and PCD Solicitors.