A landlord who worked as an estate agent assistant has been jailed for stealing more than £167,000 from her employer, it has been reported.
Hemalatha Jayaprakash, 44, from Great Barr, made dozens of illegal transfers from business and client accounts at Northwood estate agents, where she had worked for 12 years.
It transpired that payments had been made to non-existent landlords to the same bank account, which was revealed as Jayaprakash’s account when she submitted an expenses claim, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Jayaprakash lived in a £1 million property, purchased outright in 2018, and benefitted from income generated by a portfolio of at least eight rental properties. She was jailed for two years and three months after she admitted fraud by abuse of position, reports Birmingham Live.
She was hired in 2012 as an accounts manager before becoming office manager and then a personal assistant to the director. A £26,000 discrepancy was discovered when company founder, Nin Rehal, sold the business in December 2023, and she was suspended in March last year. He had been out of the office caring for his mother when Jayaprakash acted on “pure greed”.
The court was told Jayaprakash had repaid most of the stolen money, but Rehal said he had not received anything because funds had been withheld from the sale of the business. In a victim impact statement, he drew attention to a £6,480 sum she stole when he was out of office due to his mother dying less than 24 hours earlier.
Recorder Amy Jackson expressed scepticism at being told Jayaprakash had managed to swiftly repay £126,000 of the stolen money through sales of land and property in India.
She said: “This was a long-running and significant fraud and abuse of trust.”
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to determine confiscation, costs and compensation was adjourned until 26th August.
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