Fraudster who scammed renters out of £77k jailed

A fraudster who admitted stealing more than £77,000 from would-be tenants has been jailed.

Freddie Priestley, 34, of Leathermarket Court in Southwark, south London, was previously found guilty of fraud by false representation.

He offered his victims a room to rent in his property and then made up excuses for why people could not move in, while retaining their deposits.

Appearing at Inner London Crown Court, he was sentenced to 35 months in prison.

The sentencing comes in the wake of a BBC investigation of his activities involving a three-bedroom flat in Bermondsey.

A number of prospective tenants told BBC London how they had handed over significant sums as a deposit on a room in his three-bedroom flat, before being told by Priestley his father had died and they could no longer move in.

Priestley's parents sat among his victims as the defence and Crown Prosecution Service set out their sentencing arguments.

The defence detailed that, in total, Priestley had defrauded his victims of £77,406, although in some cases he was defrauding a new victim to pay back a previous one.

His defence put forward that the sentence should be lessened due to a diagnosis of ADHD and his gambling addiction.

Priestley shed tears in the defendant's dock as his lawyer spoke of his "crippling" gambling addiction.

One victim rolled their eyes as Priestley's lawyer described him as not recognising himself due to his gambling addiction - something Priestley described as a Jekyll and Hyde situation.

His defence described him now as "penniless", with everything he earned from work, or through the scam, being spent on gambling.

Sentencing the fraudster, the judge said: "I considered this case so serious and the results on those who were able to speak had such a detriment I take the view that this sentence should be a sentence that is served."

We spoke with one victim after the hearing, who asked not to be named, who said they thought the sentence was "fair".

"I was obviously sad that we won't get compensation because they say he's very poor - but I don't think that's the case. But at least justice was served," they said.

According to Report Fraud, a fraud reporting service, a total 4,441 cases of rental scams were reported in the past year across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with people aged between 20 and 29 years old proving the most likely to fall prey.

The Metropolitan Police has warned renters to be "extremely wary going through social media to find a place to live".

Det Ch Insp Imran Beg, from the economic crimes team, said: "Rental fraud is particularly an issue in the summer months, when you've got people coming down to London to study, and now's the time to be more vigilant.

"Fraudsters understand the urgency with which people look for rental properties in the market.

"The main way they operate is by creating urgency in the victims, and it's really important that people take the time to stop and think about what they're doing before they do it, and really do report that to the police through Report Fraud."

He added: "People shouldn't feel a stigma or embarrassed about this, because the fraudsters are extremely sophisticated.

"If someone is pressuring you to do something that you don't want to do, stop, speak to a trusted friend or colleague, and trust your instincts."

The Met said renters should always do their research, avoid handing over deposits and if they are not sure, seek advice from their employer or educational establishment.

Nye Jones, from Generation Rent, a campaign group for private renters, said rental scams were a growing issue.

"What we're seeing is there's less affordable homes for people to rent," he told BBC London.

"More people are getting sucked in by the scammers offering prices that are too good to be true."

He added: "Sometimes in scams we see the scammer asking for a huge amount of rent in advance upfront to try and maximise their profits - so if someone is asking you for two or three months' rent in advance, that would be illegal."

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