A lettings agent who admitted fraud after she took rental money to try and keep her business going, has been spared jail.

Samantha Wood of CS Lettings, Bradford, was found out when a landlord who had eight properties with the agency discovered around £25,000 of rental income was missing.

Wood, 49, admitted to police she had taken money because of financial difficulties.

At Bradford Crown Court, she was given a ten-month prison sentence suspended for a year. She was also ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid community work.

The court heard that she had been robbing Peter to pay Paul, to try and keep her business afloat.

She had gone bankrupt and her partner had left her. She had health issues and was the sole carer of her young son.

Judge John Potter said it was a “systematic fraud over a significant period”.

However, he said referees had spoken highly of Wood, who had no previous convictions, and she had made no money from the fraud.

The case, once again, highlights the need for tighter controls over letting agents and how they manage clients’ money – something that successive governments seem unable to grasp, let alone legislate.