Lewisham housing officer jailed for subletting properties and pocketing the rent (From News Shopper)

Lewisham housing officer Adeola Adenuga jailed for subletting properties and pocketing the rent

2:27pm Monday 8th October 2012 in News By Sarah Trotter

A LEWISHAM housing officer has been jailed after subletting properties she was in charge of and pocketing the rent.

Adeola Adenuga exploited her role to find houses for families in need while acting as a tenancy officer for Lewisham Homes - costing Lewisham Council around £150k.

In one deception, after an elderly lady died in Catford, the 38-year-old did not tell the council or find a family in need for the vacant home but cashed in and sublet the property.

Adenuga changed the tenancy agreement to various names – including her husband’s Paul Adenuga – and paid the council the fixed rent while thieving the difference.

It was four years before Adenuga and her husband’s actions were uncovered by the council’s fraud team in 2009, revealing layers of deceit including falsely securing a house in Greenwich.

Adenuga, of Grays, Essex, was jailed for 21 months and her husband was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years plus 100 hours community work.

The pair, sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on October 3, initially denied all accusations before admitting the charges before they went on trial.

Adeola Adenuga pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining property by deception and two counts of fraud. Paul Adenuga gave a guilty plea to one count of obtaining property by deception and one of fraud.

In sentencing, Judge Philip Shorrock said Adeola Adenuga knew how the system worked and took advantage of her inside knowledge.

Lewisham Council’s cabinet member for customer services Councillor Susan Wise said: "The actions of Mr and Mrs Adenuga have meant that Lewisham families in real housing need have been deprived of a home.

"Social housing is meant for people who need it, not those who are greedy and seek to make financial gain by depriving others. Where we find cases of deliberate fraud we will always seek to prosecute."