A lettings agency employee who diverted over £50,000 of landlords’ money into his own account has been given a suspended sentence.

Paul Cheriton, who worked for Hadlands lettings agency in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of pounds by diverting payments intended for clients into accounts that he controlled.

The Bucks Free Press reports that the agency took a private prosecution against Cheriton because it was concerned at delays in the police investigation. 

Cheriton, now from Kilwinning in Scotland, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation between August 1 2019 and December 31 2020. He was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service and was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

In a statement on the issue Hadlands managing director Simon Hadland tells the Bucks Free Press: “Many businesses have struggled during the pandemic and this sort of fraudulent activity puts people’s livelihoods at risk.

“We took the unusual step of prosecuting this case privately to ensure that Mr Cheriton couldn’t do this again to someone else.

“We have ensured that our clients weren’t impacted by this fraud and all losses have been covered.”

You can read the full local media story here.