Boss left 'devastated' by worker's £166k fraud

A FORMER company director has described his 'devastation' at being betrayed by his trusted personal assistant who stole more than £166,000 from the business while living in a £1 million home.

- CARL JACKSON News Reporter

Nin Rehal spoke of the 'profound and long lasting impact' of Hemalatha Jayaprakash's three-year fraud, which included stealing money while he was caring for his terminally-ill mother in her final days and years.

He also detailed her lavish spending on lottery tickets, Greggs and Deliveroo takeaways while he was remortgaging the family home to keep all of the plates spinning.

Jayaprakash, 44, of Queslett Road, admitted one offence of fraud by abuse of position, as reported in last week's Post.

She wailed in anguish as she was jailed for two years and three months at Birmingham Crown Court recently.

Jayaprakash was hired at Birmingham-based Northwood estate agents as accounts manager in 2012 before becoming personal assistant to the director and office manager.

She had full access to company funds but between January 2021 and March 2024 she made nearly 160 illegal transactions, paying herself £167,067.

"This fraud was not opportunistic; it was calculated, pre-meditated and a sustained scheme executed over multiple years," said Nin, who founded the business and was its managing director at the time.