Bingo-mad housing chief 'bullied' tenants out of thousands » Housing » 24dash.com

A bingo-mad housing chief, who "bullied" vulnerable tenants out of more than £63,000 to fund her gambling addiction, was warned today jail was virtually inevitable.

For three years grandmother Jeanette Harris, 50, lied to both the "socially needy" and key workers such as firemen and nurses to pocket money.

The estate manager, who turned to crime just weeks after starting work for the Crown Estate Commissioners (CEC), first told her victims they needed to pay deposits to secure the scarce accommodation.

She then insisted they had to pay their rent in cash. Harris cooked the books to cover up her crimes.

One of those she targeted, who complained about her behaviour and took her bosses to a tribunal, found the CEC siding with their employee and winning.

London's Southwark Crown Court heard Harris's lengthy "abuse of trust" finally ended when one woman was warned she was many hundreds of pounds in arrears with her rent.

When the woman explained she had been handing over cash to the defendant, an investigation was immediately launched.

A total of 19 people ended up giving statements, explaining how Harris had conned them out of a total of £63,721.

But her former employers believe she targeted up to 50 people and pocketed more than £100,000.

The defendant, of Senrab Street, Tower Hamlets, east London, pleaded guilty to 26 counts of theft between December 2003, and November 2006, as well as six of deception and two of false accounting.

Adjourning sentence until March 29, Judge Geoffrey Rivlin, QC, told the weeping mother-of-two: "We are dealing here with a number of serious offences of fraud where you were in a position of trust, abused that trust and deceived vulnerable people out of their monies.

"In those circumstance, the only appropriate sentence in my view, having regard to the nature and extent of these crimes, is a custodial sentence."

However, having heard her adult son, a cystic fibrosis sufferer, lived at home with her, the judge said it was vital he have more information on his medical condition before deciding the "correct" way to deal with his mother.
In the meantime she could remain on bail, he added.

The court heard Harris started working for the CEC - which manages the monarchy's property portfolio - in September 2003.

As one of the managers at Cumberland Market Housing Estate in Camden, north London, she was responsible for letting and managing some 250 "social housing" properties.

Antony Swift, prosecuting, said tenants included both "long-termers", many of whom were "vulnerable people", and key workers like teachers, nurses, fire officers and ambulancemen.

He explained CEC's policy was never to take cash deposits from prospective tenants, as many of them "did not have those kinds of funds available".

Neither did they accept rent in cash.

"However, within a couple of months or so of commencing employment, it seems the defendant was abusing her position as estate manager to obtain monies from these tenants," said counsel.

"Firstly she told them a particular property was 'up for grabs' and needed a deposit, a deposit in cash, and if they didn't pay, the property would go to someone else.

"In effect she was using pressure, bullying tactics to obtain these deposits from people who had to borrow the money, scrape the money together from other people.

"She would also take money for rent in cash and cover up this diversion of monies through false records.

Consequently the Crown Estate Commissioners weren't aware of what she was doing," he told the court.

He went on: "On one occasion the Commissioners were taken to a tribunal by a tenant complaining about the defendant's behaviour. The CEC backed the defendant and they won.

"The effect of the proceedings on the relations between the Commissioners and the tenants was that they felt they had been bullied by the Commissioners, let down by the Commissioners, because they were doing nothing about stopping what this lady was doing."

He added that when finally arrested and interviewed, Harris immediately confessed, and explained "it was basically her addiction to bingo that led her down this route".

Adam Butler, defending, agreed, but said the root cause was probably depression.

"She thinks that led to her addiction to bingo and the gaming machines in the bingo hall."

As a result Harris, highly thought of for her voluntary work, ended up leading a "double life", dispensing kindness with one hand and stealing with the other.

"She was hiding this dark secret, but is now greatly relieved this is all out in the open. She is also glad she is receiving help from Gamblers Anonymous," he added.