A fraud case against three letting agents who had been accused in relation to tenancy deposits has been dropped after they returned the money.
Toni, Jacqueline and Kayleigh Burridge, formerly directors of Hothomes UK in Plymouth, had been accused of falsely claiming that deposits were held in a separate bank account and that Hothomes was part of a registered deposit protection scheme so money would be returned if the firm was liquidated.
Toni Burridge, 41, his wife Jacqueline, also 41, and their daughter Kayleigh, 20, had each denied a joint charge of fraud by false representation between October 31, 2010, and July 1, 2011.
The three had been due to go on trial before Plymouth Crown Court, but the case was dismissed after Alistair Verheijen, for the Crown Prosecution Service, offered no evidence.
He said the family had returned around £3,500 to the police, which would be handed back to the landlords.
Mr Verheijen said: “If the lost deposits are repaid the Crown cannot see the public interest in proceeding with the case.”
Hothomes UK suddenly closed its offices in Stoke village in July last year. The Burridges had previously run a business to do with EPCs and Home Information Packs.
Here is what we reported at the time:
http://tinyurl.com/5vbg7fs
Comments
A deterrent? its just not big enough to excite them is the truth.
Its only 'little people' who have been hit so no interest from the establishment. I bet if an MP had been one of the people who had lost money they would have been in court by now.
We had a local agent go bust last year, we could all see the signs; landlords not being paid, tenants being fobbed off with excuses why their deposit hadn't been returned, contractors not being paid. He claimed to have had only 250 properties under management but we estimated it at twice that just based on data we were given, and over three quarters of a million pounds missing. Have they faced prosecution? not a chance so the est of the conmen around here are thinking "hey, he got away with it"
they need stringing up
"If the lost deposits are repaid the Crown cannot see the public interest in proceeding with the case.”
Er - deterrent?