A solicitor accused of insider dealing spoke only to confirm his name during his first appearance in the glass-walled dock at Southwark Crown Court today.

Richard Bloomfield, 38, was admitted to the roll in September 2012. He is accused of five counts of insider dealing.

Bloomfield is alleged, while working in his role as a solicitor on a proposed acquisition of maternity wear company Seraphine Group plc, to have used inside information relating to a particular securities issuer to acquire more than 580,000 shares whose prices were affected by that information. The counts relate to five different dates from 28 March 2022 to 10 January 2023.

Bloomfield, wearing a blue suit, spoke only to confirm his name.

The short hearing before His Honour Judge Baumgartner, recorder of Westminster, heard Bloomfield had only recently instructed his solicitors and counsel Allison Clare KC.

Clare told the judge that Bloomfield had not yet had a ‘full conference’ with his lawyer and asked if credit could be ‘preserved simply for that conference to take place with new counsel’.

The judge granted the application and preserved credit ‘in the circumstances’. He adjourned the hearing until 11 September when Bloomfield, who is on unconditional bail, is expected to enter a plea. No indication of plea was given.