A housing association tenant has been sentenced to 14 months in jail after being caught subletting.

Anthony Rose, 45, illegally sublet his housing association property for more than six years.

Rose obtained the one-bedroom property from the Hyde Group in December 1996.

Hyde became suspicious of subletting when staff visited the property in April 2017 and found a woman living alone at the address.

Hyde’s tenancy team asked Greenwich Council's anti-fraud team to investigate and they visited the property and met with the current occupant.

She confirmed she had been living there since October 2015 and was paying a monthly rent of £800 to her landlord, Rose.

Council investigators also found that prior to his current tenant Rose had also sublet the property to various other people from July 2011 and that his bank accounts showed a rental income from July 2011 to December 2017 totalling more than £57,000.

In January 2018 council investigators invited Rose for interview, but he refused on advice from his lawyer.

He then claimed the woman living at the property was his girlfriend and he was living there with her, but this was denied by his tenant.

In March, after being shown the evidence against him, Rose offered to return the keys to the property.

He asked that no proceedings be taken as he did not want a criminal record, but he was taken to court.

Rose appeared at Woolwich Crown Court and pleaded guilty to offences relating to the Fraud Act 2006 and the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013.

Councillor Christine Grice, cabinet member for finance and resources, said: “Mr Rose deprived genuine people of much-needed accommodation for many years and made a substantial profit from his despicable actions.

"The council has submitted an application under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to recover the money Mr Rose made from the illegal subletting.

"Just because you give the keys back doesn’t mean you won’t be prosecuted and lose the profits of any illegal activities.”

If you suspect someone of committing fraud in Greenwich call 0800 169 6975 or email fraud@royalgreenwich.gov.uk