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Former bailiff jailed for fraud - 28/05/2010

A former bailiff who scammed £27,000 in debt collections, before setting out to con students out of accommodation deposits, has been jailed.

The ex-Rossendale’s employee, Soloman Rajput, 24, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court for the offences.

Rajput’s crimes began while he worked as a bailiff for Hounslow Council between October and December 2008, while employed by debt collection agency Rossendales.

Prosecuting, James O’Connell said: "It became apparent after a certain amount of time had gone by that he was collecting money from those that owed it but was not paying it into the company as he should have done."

Rajput, of Unwin Road, Isleworth, was sentenced to a year in jail for fraud offences in Hounslow and Leeds.

Jailing Rajput, Judge Moss described a pre-sentence report which recommended giving the fraudster a 24-month community penalty as "inappropriate".

A Hounslow Council spokesman told Credit Today that it had been the only case of bailiff fraud they had experienced but the actions by Rajput "had been pretty unsophisticated and therefore easy to spot and resolve."

The spokesman added: "Rossendales has taken a hit financially. As part of the contract the company has to provide a certain level of duty and obviously this bailiff didn’t do that."

He added that the council was "not out of pocket" as a result of the fraud, but did not reveal the full amount paid back by Rossendales.

Hounslow Council said that it still had a long-term contract with the bailiff firm through its contract with service provider Liberata.

On top of his fraudulent dealings as a bailiff, Rajput also abused his position as a landlord by stealing deposits totalling £3,764.60 from five tenants. In statements read to the court, his victims said they were "left homeless".

The judge ordered Rajput to serve four months in prison for each of the five counts, to be served concurrently. He added an additional eight months for the "more serious" abuse of trust in Isleworth.

Judge Moss said there was "no point" in ordering compensation in light of the sentence and Rajput’s inability to pay.