On 8th February 2021, at Swindon Magistrates Court, businessman Jayson Antony Kent pleaded guilty to 6 charges under the Fraud Act for failing to register tenancy deposits with a government-approved scheme.
Mr Kent ran an estate and letting agency business in Melksham for almost 25 years.
The offences took place between March 2011 and September 2018 with respect to 6 properties in the Melksham area.
Although between 2010 and 2018 he was a member of the Deposit Protection Scheme, he failed to register deposits received directly from tenants and the money disappeared.
Mr Kent claimed that the money had been swallowed up in the business or diverted elsewhere but his many promises to reimburse the complainants never materialised.
On the day of the hearing, Mr Kent told the court he was in the process of paying back the deposits and confirmation of this was received from some of the complainants.
He gave the court his assurance that all would be paid back within 24 hours.
The magistrates fined Mr Kent a total of £1615.20.