Property firm employee jailed for fleecing tenants

A credit controller at a property firm has been jailed for 20 months for thieving nearly £100,000 from tenants. Maria Brown, 43, stole £93,488 from Petchey Residential Properties between January 2017 and September 2018. Brown was tasked with collecting rent, arranging bank transfers to the company and returning deposits to tenants, Southwark Crown Court heard. Prosecutor Laura Paisley said: ‘A new tenant who had paid his deposit made contact with the company to verify if the rent had been received….