An employee left an estate agency facing near bankruptcy after stealing close to £80,000 in rent money and deposits from customers of estate agents Sansome and George, which has an office in Tilehurst, Reading.

Nicole Knight, 52, of St Mary’s Avenue, Purley, was a trusted employee, leaving company directors devastated to discover her deceit.

Directors told the court the business nearly went under and continues to deal with the financial and emotional repercussions of Knight’s actions.

Knight was only caught because of errors which led to an audit, according to Donna Tulio, prosecuting.

It transpired that Knight had been stealing tens of thousands of pounds and hiding the funds in various bank accounts.

Knight admitted stealing £78,481.45 from the estate agency between 14 October 2020 and 10 October 2023.

The estate agency’s owner, Paul Bampton, said in a victim impact statement: “The emotional strain continues to take its toll.

“I’ve given my whole working life to this company… 28 years of blood, sweat and tears.

“This act, by a person I trusted, almost tore the business down.

“Would the business survive?

“What would be the impact on our reputation?

“The burden was huge; I struggle to understand how someone could be so selfish… she has a total lack of remorse for her sickening greed and dreadful actions.”

Charles Hayes, a director at the agency, told the court: “We built our reputation on trust and reliability… her actions affected our business, our clients and the community.

“We treat our employees like family and our reputation is everything to us.

“The emotional toll has been devastating; we’re still finding evidence of stolen money – it’s ongoing.

“On a personal level the sense of betrayal has been overwhelming; we considered her a friend and supported her through difficult times.

“We’re still having to reimburse clients on a daily basis.”

Knight, released on unconditional bail, will  be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on a date to be fixed.