A letting agency director who stole more than £350,000 in deposits and rent has been spared jail.
Clifford Wheatcroft, 33, ran Real-Est8 Property Solutions in Bournemouth.
The business launched in 2009 but by December 2013 Wheatcroft was declared bankrupt, according to the Bournemouth Echo.
It subsequently emerged that he had not been placing tenants’ money in a deposit protection scheme but instead used the cash to fund a “lavish lifestyle”.
Several landlords also found they were owed months’ worth of rent.
Wheatcroft told police that he got into financial difficulty in 2012, which then got worse after the loss of a big client in 2013.
He then started to use the deposits and rent to keep up other payments.
Financial enquiries showed Wheatcroft spent a considerable amount of money from the company account on personal items including holidays, leisure activities, shopping and meals. totalling £357,260.08.
Wheatcroft has now been sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting eight counts of theft.
Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings are due to take place in the coming months.
Wheatcroft must also carry out 250 hours of unpaid work in the community.
Detective constable Mandy Brimicombe, of Dorset Police, said: “As with these types of financial investigations where there are a number of victims, the case was lengthy and complex.
“Wheatcroft used his position to fund his lavish lifestyle, with many victims losing thousands of pounds.
“I hope this sentence shows that we take such allegations extremely seriously and will bring offenders to justice.”
Who says crime doesn’t pay?
Shameful on all sides.
“I hope this sentence shows that we take such allegations extremely seriously and will bring offenders to justice.”
NO, IT DOESN’T. It shows just how soft “justice” can be.
Who passed sentence – @ASA_UK?
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I bet if he’d have gone into a bank and waved a gun round to get that money it would have been a different sentence… or at least I hope it would!
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So the current punishment for stealing coming on 1/2 million is a few weeks work in Scope and a prison sentence that isn’t a prison sentence. And their life goes on quite happily apart from the fact he’s sorting through black sacks of clothes on a Saturday morning.
We have a fascinating justice system.
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Couldn’t agree more, MrLister.
Thought you’d want to know that.
;o)
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How is that justice? He stole over £350,000 to fund a lavish life style, holidays, cars etc. They will carry out a proceeds of crime process but he will have spent the lot! What message does this give to other crooked letting agents that think it’s ok to dip into deposits – let’s face it he isn’t the first and won’t be the last. What amazes me is how he gets away with it? Did he provide false deposit documents, the landlords that discovered they hadn’t been paid for months – do they not check their bank accounts?
Good grief!
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‘Sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for two years’
Detective constable Mandy Brimicombe, of Dorset Police, said: “I hope this sentence shows that we take such allegations extremely seriously and will bring offenders to justice.”
No, DC Brimicombe, it absolutely does not show it.
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To be fair to her, it does show that he was brought to justice, it’s just that this particular justice is a feeble smack on the wrist with a feather…
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Hey guys……. It’s alright he prbably had CMP………. that means he could steal with impunity knowing that his clients would be reimbursed. To be fair it’s all of us who have sponsored his lavish lifestyle with the increase in our premiums!
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“Wheatcroft must also carry out 250 hours of unpaid work in the community.”
Unpaid!, Paid in advance more like. it works out at around £1,400 per hour.
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Must be here…
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GOTTA be here…
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Nope. Ain’t here.
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?
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The comment from dom-boy. It’s missing.
Actually it’s not ‘missing’. In order to have gone ‘missing’ he would have had to post one in the first place.
Thing is, CL – our ickle Purple #fanboy gets all man-moist over PB supposedly because of their transparency and fairness, and because he was apparently done over by some dodgepot Agent in Leeds or Leicester or somewhere far enough away from his hometown as to make him one of those ‘landlords’ that buy fleapit stuff anywhere that’s near a University or hospital and rake in the proceeds.
Until, that is, the Agent does one with their money. Then we’re all twastards.
Unless yer board’s purple that is – and he can make a few shekels off trading your shares to boot.
But with this being dom-boy’s ‘specialist subject’ and all that, you would expect him to come on gumming away at this article like a toothless Jack Russell at a marrow-bone.
But…
…it didn’t happen.
Instead… he was too busy trying to discredit the Jeffries Report that told some nasty home truths about #CONmisery.
Funny, that…
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