Businessman in property fraud; COURTS: Family paid pounds 1,000 despite not being proper tenants.

Byline: Sandish Shoker

A BUSINESSMAN found guilty of letting a property that he did not actually own has been ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service.

Charles Opoku-Fordjour, of George Robinson Drive, Binley, appeared at Coventry Crown Court on Wednesday charged with one count of fraud by false representation.

The 41-year-old had stood trial at an earlier date at Coventry Magistrates Court for drawing up a contract and letting the house in Farren Road, Wyken, while he was still in the process of buying it.

Prosecuting, Finula Sheridan said Fordjour was given the keys by the property's owner "in good faith" but he collected pounds 1,000 rent from a family that he allowed to stay there without the owner's permission.

Matthew Barnes, defending, said: "This wasn't a sophisticated fraud. It was always going to be discovered sooner or later and at some stage the owners were going to realise there were tenants in the house.

"He could never have got away with it and he made no arrangements to hide his identity or disappear." Sentencing, Recorder Nicholas Paines took into account that Fordjour was a family man of previous good character. He said: "You took pounds 1,000 from your victims when you knew you were unlawfully unable to let them be tenants of that house.

''Normally frauds like this result in prison sentences but I'm taking a lenient case because you did not try to run away with the money."

Fordjour was ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work, pay back the pounds 1,000 to his victims, and pay pounds 960 costs.