The director of a letting agency in Wigan has received a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to eight counts of fraud following prosecution by Wigan Council’s trading standards.
Linda Murray, former director of Wigan-based Let Me Lettings, was charged under the Fraud Act 2006.
Her company provided services to landlords that included managing their properties and taking deposits from tenants, which were meant to be held via the Deposit Protection Service.
These deposits were meant to be held in the government-authorised ‘Deposit Protection Service’, which keeps the money safe for tenants.
The 40-year old letting agent appeared at Bolton Crown Court for her sentence.
She received 20 months in prison suspended for two years, 30 days rehabilitation and she has been disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
She also has to pay compensation of £3,660.
Wigan Trading Standards, which led the prosecution, received complaints from seven landlords, about nine different properties, with over £6,000 lost due to the fraud.
Cllr Dane Anderton, lead member for civil contingencies at Wigan Council, said: “This Deposit Protection Service exists to protect tenants in rented properties, and landlords and residents that use letting agents for this service deserve to know that their deposits are being protected.”
Comments (1)
Suspended or not, 20 months for a 6k fraud?
Really?
This mammal is getting increasingly copulated off with the hammer of the state smashing low hanging fruit whilst the baroness, the prince and the orange Buddha make toe curling headlines with impunity.