Published: Wednesday, 6th June 2018

A married couple were ordered to undertake 200 hours each of unpaid work in the community for having illegally sublet their Charlton Triangle Homes property for over 10 years.

Mr Adealade Oshinmi and Mrs Foluke Oshinmi were also ordered to pay the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Charlton Triangle Homes a total of £24,568.87 plus legal costs of £7,656.00. The prosecution was made by the Royal Borough of Greenwich on behalf of Charlton Triangle.

In September 1998 Mr and Mrs Oshinmi submitted a housing application to the Royal Borough of Greenwich which led to a nomination to Charlton Triangle Homes. In June 2002 Charlton Triangle offered them a two-bedroom flat at Downe House, Charlton, SE7.

At the time of accepting the property Mr and Mrs Oshinmi declared their circumstances had not changed from their original housing application, completed in September 1998, and that they still required accommodation.

In the latter part of 2015, Charlton Triangle Homes began to have suspicions that the property at Downe House was being sublet and sought assistance from the Royal Borough of Greenwich Internal Audit and Anti-Fraud team to investigate.

Enquiries by investigators from the Royal Borough of Greenwich identified that in June 2000 Mr and Mrs Oshinmi had purchased and were living at their own two-bedroom house in Frederick Place, Woolwich, SE18, which they had bought in June 2000, some two years before they accepted the social housing property with Charlton Triangle Homes.

Investigations revealed that in November 2003 Mr and Mrs Oshinmi purchased another two-bedroom house in Roydene Road, Plumstead, SE18, which they then moved into whilst renting their other house in Frederick Place. A check on the property at Downe House confirmed that Mr and Mrs Oshinmi had been renting the two-bedroom flat to a friend. Bank checks confirmed they were making a healthy rental profit above the rent that they had been paying to Charlton Triangle Homes.

In January 2015 investigators from the Royal Borough interviewed Mr and Mrs Oshinmi where they denied the allegations, stating they did nothing wrong and did not make any money from the property. On 13 November 2017 Mr and Mrs Oshinmi were summonsed to appear at Bexley Magistrates Court to face charges relating to falsely obtaining the social housing property with Charlton Triangle Homes and subletting it. At Court they both gave a 'not guilty' plea and the matter was put forward for trial.

On the first day of the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on 30 May 2018, Mr and Mrs Oshinmi changed their plea to guilty and each admitted two charges put to them under the Theft Act and the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act.

At Woolwich Crown Court His Honour Judge Shorrock heard that Mr Oshinmi is a highly paid project manager for a large Housing Association where he earns in the region of £50,000 a year and that Mrs Oshinmi is a part time worker for a national charity.

Upon sentencing Judge Shorrock said that they had both jointly embarked upon this fraud from the outset and that he was "quite sure that they did so, not through ignorance, but through greed to let out this property for well over 10 years" and that they "had clearly made a profit from subletting of over £24,000".

Mr and Mrs Oshinmi were both ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and given a curfew to remain at their home address between the hours of 9pm and 6am each day. His Honour Judge Shorrocks ordered Mr and Mrs Oshinmi to pay the Royal Borough of Greenwich and Charlton Triangle Homes a total of £24,568.87 within 12 months. This amount consisted of an Unlawful Profit Order of £6,919.89 and compensation of £17,648.98. They were also ordered to pay legal costs of £7,656.00.

'Mr and Mrs Oshinmi's actions were deplorable'

Councillor Christine Grice, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, said: "We all know that the demand for social housing is at an all-time high and thanks to the excellent partnership working between the Royal Borough and Charlton Triangle Homes another property has been made available for those who genuinely need it. Mr and Mrs Oshinmi's actions were deplorable.

"I am pleased to hear that their selfish greed has led to them both receiving a criminal record and that they now have to pay back over £32,000.00. I am also pleased to hear that property was immediately allocated to a Greenwich resident who was in genuine need of accommodation."

'This is not a game, you will get caught'

Andrew Kimmance, Director Charlton Triangle Homes, said: "Everyone living in London knows there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing. There is no excuse for subletting a desperately needed council or housing association property. This is not a game. Our successful partnership with Royal Greenwich has demonstrated that you will get caught, you will be prosecuted and you will get a huge fine and a criminal record."