Lettings administrator admits stealing £16,000 from Savills branch

A former administrator at a Savills letting office has admitted embezzling around £16,000 from the firm over a five and a half year period. 

The East Anglian Times reports that Julie Feilden, who worked at Savills’ office in Newmarket, had pleaded guilty to 13 charges of theft, with the offences dating from March 2010 to September 2015.

She stole amounts ranging from £450 to £3,012 while serving as an administrator with responsibility for collecting deposits from tenants and placing it in a tenant deposit scheme.

South East Suffolk magistrates’ court was told that Fielden had been made redundant in 2015 but asked if she could complete paperwork relating to deposits. 

However, the court heard that it took Savills several months to retrieve the books; at that point the thefts were discovered.

Feilden admitted her crimes to police during an interview in August last year. 

The magistrates sent the matter to Ipswich Crown Court for sentencing at a later date as they felt their sentencing powers were insufficient for the case. Feilden was released on bail until then.

A statement from Saviils to Letting Agent Today says: “Savills can confirm that Julie Fielden was an employee of Smiths Gore, based in its Newmarket  high street office from 2010-2015 when these offences took place. Smiths Gore was subsequently acquired by Savills. No clients suffered a loss as a consequence.”

You can see the full local press article here.