Woman jailed for fake student tenancies fraud
Diane Richards pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud at Lincoln Crown Court
- Published
A woman who took thousands of pounds in deposits from tenants for homes she did not own has been jailed for two years and four months after admitting fraud.
Diane Richards, 54, drew up fake tenancy agreements and took money from seven people.
Lincoln Crown Court heard two of the victims were international students who needed accomodation to begin their studies at the University of Lincoln.
One student who became suspicious discovered that Richards was actually a tenant living with her family in one of the properties in Lincoln that she was attempting to rent out.
The court heard Richards was granted police bail for for three offences in 2022 but went on to commit four similar offences in 2024 for properties she advertised on Facebook, but did not own.
Richards, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to seven counts of fraud by false representation between February 2022 and June 2024.
Prosecutor Stuart Lody said: "These were rather sophisticated frauds which took place over a significant period of time.
"These victims all lost considerable sums of money. They were vulnerable as they were negotiating from abroad and arrived in this country to find they did not have any accomodation."
The court was told Richards had 10 previous convictions for 27 offences, including for similar frauds.
Passing sentence, Judge James House KC said Richards' previous convictions revealed she had carried out very similar frauds in the past.
Judge House accepted Richards had significant health problems, but told her an immediate prison sentence was needed to deter others.
"The reality is the defendant has behaved in a dishonest way over a considerable number of years," the judge said.
"She offends to make money for her own lifestyle."
Judge House also ordered confiscation of £4,768 from Richards' savings to be split between the victims.
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