A lawyer convicted of stealing almost $400,000 from the estate of a dead TV journalist has been disbarred -- three years after being jailed.

Charles Vaucrosson, sent to prison in December, 1995, has officially been kicked off the Bar Council.

But he told The Royal Gazette last night that he was taking his criminal appeal to the Privy Council in a bid to clear his name and get reinstated as a barrister.

The Bar Council's Disciplinary Tribunal found he broke the barristers code of professional conduct by stealing from Percy Ball, who died in 1987.

They ordered his name to be struck off the roll after upholding seven complaints that his conduct was dishonest and unfitting of a barrister.

The Bar Council's ruling, made in May, has only just been made public. Mr.

Vaucrosson, who lives in Pembroke, has not appealed the decision.

But he said: "There's no point in appealing that decision to disbar me.

"If my appeal to the Privy Council is successful then I can get reinstated.

"Unfortunately I have no idea when that appeal might take place and I'm still trying to get details from my attorneys at Trott and Duncan.

"Clearly, I'm no longer allowed to practise law and I'm just using my office to do my debt collecting.

"I'm very disappointed and it's a tremendous setback but I will keep fighting and I'm chasing the people who owe me money.'' He served one year of a two-year sentence before being paroled in 1996 and losing an initial appeal on eight counts of stealing.

Mr. Vaucrosson's trial jury found that he used the cash to pay off personal debts in 1991, including $31,000 to pay his staff and $151,000 owed on a mortgage.

The funds came from the Ball trust account which had a balance of more than $390,000 in January 1991 -- but totalled just a little more than $25,000 by the end of February that year.

Supreme Court Registrar Charles-Etta Simmons would not discuss the decision to disbar Mr. Vaucrosson yesterday.

COURTS CTS LAWYERS LEG