A LETTING agent who defrauded landlords and tenants out of thousands of pounds has been spared a jail sentence, while her victims will receive no compensation.

Becky Westby kept more than £5,000 of her customers’ money through Padgate-based Aspire Lettings, failing to return deposits and not passing on rent payments.

But the 33-year-old avoided a jail sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, June 23, and will not be made to pay back her ill-gotten gains.

The court heard that Westby began working in the industry with Black Bear Lettings in 2011 before becoming a director at Absolute Lettings in May the same year.

In May 2014, she resigned her directorship with Absolute Lettings and claimed that the business had subletted properties without permission, failed to return deposits and not passed on rent payments to homeowners in letters sent to clients.

Westby, of Matlock Close, Whittle Hall, encouraged them to move their properties to her new company Aspire Lettings, based at Padgate Business Park on Green Lane.

But she would go on to defraud clients out of £5,509.74 over a nine-month period between July 2014 and April 2015.

She failed to give the owners of properties on Glossop Close in Howley, Ashfields Gardens in Latchford and Windsor Street in Latchford £475, £186 and £465.30 respectively in rent payments and did not return a £475 deposit for an apartment on Greenings Close in Orford.

Westby also received at least £1,258.99 to pay bills including council tax, gas and electricity for a property on Newark Drive in Chapelford, services that she did not carry out.

A further £2,589.70 in rent payments was not passed on to the owners of properties in Runcorn, Leigh, Atherton and Winsford.

One victim, who had two properties managed by Aspire Lettings and did not wish to be named, told the Warrington Guardian: “This woman betrayed my trust – this was my pension income.

“She told me lies, and it left me and the tenants in a worrying position – I was devastated.”

Towards the end of the offending period, Westby made a ‘large number of personal of withdrawals’ from the company’s bank account.

Prosecuting barrister Catherine Ellis added: “She treated the money as if it was her own to spend for her own purposes.”

Westby, who was described as being of previous good character, had earlier admitted 10 counts of fraud following an investigation by Warrington Trading Standards, while a further 15 charges will lie on the file.

Recorder Louis Browne sentenced her to a six month jail sentence, suspended for a year, and ordered her to complete a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 10 days.

The Crown Prosecution Service had made an application for compensation for Westby’s victims plus court costs, but recorder Browne did not impose the order as he believed it would be ‘toothless’ due to the defendant, who had brought packed bags with her to court, being bankrupt.

Sentencing, he said: “In essence, what you did was misappropriate monies given to you for specific purposes for your own use.

“I’m prepared to give you a chance by suspending this sentence, and if you show good character for 12 months you will hear no more about this.

“If you do commit any further offences in this period you are liable to be brought back to court, and you are likely to be sent to prison.”