A notorious bogus lawyer from Kent dubbed the Devil's Advocate for defending "unwinnable and unpopular causes" has today been jailed for 14 years.

Giovanni Di Stefano - described as "one of life's great swindlers" - was convicted of a catalogue of frauds that saw clients duped out of almost £1million.

The 57-year-old, from Marshside, near Herne Bay, represented notorious criminals including road-rage killer Kenneth Noye, timeshare fraudster John "Goldfinger" Palmer and property tycoon Nicholas Van Hoogstraten.

Italian-born Di Stefano, of North Stream, bragged of meetings with Osama Bin Laden and Robert Mugabe – and once acted as a "counsel of record" for Serbian warlord Arkan.

In a boastful 2004 TV documentary, the former Dundee United FC director said mass murderer Harold Shipman's conviction was "absolutely outrageous" and suggested he would represent Adolf Hitler and the Devil if he could.

Di Stefano (pictured above right) gave himself the title of "avvocato" and pretended to be a qualified lawyer despite only having an honorary degree from the University of Belgrade.

He developed a reputation among both the criminal underworld and with some lawyers as a man willing to provide services to clie nts whose cases were otherwise considered too difficult to win or defend.

"this is a man who courted publicity, fame and even generated notoriety and respect for his legal services – but it was all built on his lies, deception and greed..." – di matthew bradford

Yet Di Stefano was not registered as a bona fide lawyer in either Britain or Italy, despite using a title suggesting he was the equivalent of a lawyer and operating under the company name Studio Legal Internazionale, which translates as International Law Firm.

Jurors at Southwark Crown Court found him guilty of 25 offences of deception, fraud, money laundering and forgery between 2004 and 2012.

Di Stefano shook his head sadly as the damning verdicts were announced by the jury of four men and eight women after four hours and 10 minutes yesterday.

The two-month trial heard how Di Stefano had associated himself with some of the world's most evil men.

He admitted in evidence he was not a qualified lawyer, but said he only realised this "in hindsight".

"During that period, and even today, I honestly believe that I can advise and provide legal services to anyone that seeks my assistance," he said

Bogus lawyer lived in Marshside near Herne Bay. Picture: Twitter

Di Stefano came to the attention of specialist fraud detectives at The City of London Police in 2005 after the Law Society passed on a financial complaint from a client.

A seven-year inquiry uncovered he had consistently manipulated and deceived the criminal justice system.

Di Stefano was arrested in Spain using a European arrest warrant and brought back to the UK for trial.

He even tried to undermine the trial by taking out a private case against the officer in charge, which was thrown out of court.

DI Matthew Bradford, from the City of London Police's Economic Crime Directorate, said: "This is a man who courted publicity, fame and even generated notoriety and respect for his legal services – but it was all built on his lies, deception and greed.

"The irony is that among Di Stefano's clients were individuals who were being prosecuted for serious criminal offences or had a criminal background – yet they themselves became victims to Di Stefano's crimes.

"This was a complex enquiry that took specialist investigators from the City of London Police years of dedicated work to meticulously piece together Di Stefano's persistent habit of offending over a substantial period of time and establish a case which the prosecution were then able to successfully present in court to a jury. Not even Di Stefano could defend the weight of evidence against him."

DI Bradford added: "Di Stefano was convicted of serious fraud at the Old Bailey in 1986, at which point the then trial judge described him as one of life's great swindlers. That is as true today as it was then."