A fraudster who admitted stealing more than \u00a377,000 from would-be tenants in London has had his prison sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n
Freddie Priestley, 34, of Leathermarket Court in Southwark, south London, was sentenced to 35 months in prison in June<\/a> after he falsely advertised a flat for rent on Facebook and kept deposit and rent payments from more than 30 people.<\/p>\n In a judgment published on Thursday, three senior judges at the Court of Appeal reduced the jail term to two years, but ruled it should not be suspended.<\/p>\n Priestley pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and was sentenced after a BBC investigation into his activities<\/a> involving a three-bedroom flat in Bermondsey.<\/p>\n Lady Justice Andrews, sitting with Mrs Justice McGowan and Mr Justice Hilliard, said the sentencing judge made “insufficient allowance” for mitigating features in the case.<\/p>\n She said that Priestley “was in the grip of a gambling addiction”, adding: “Whilst it does not excuse his offending behaviour, (it) provides an explanation for it.”<\/p>\n Lady Justice Andrews said Priestley advertised the flat online, sent prospective tenants a tenancy agreement to sign and asked for deposits. He asked for the first month’s rent from some of the victims.<\/p>\n The judge said that Priestley admitted his fraudulent activity to some of his victims before his arrest, and told them that he had experienced a “major relapse” in his gambling addiction and was “ashamed” of his actions.<\/p>\n Lady Justice Andrews said that some of Priestley’s victims were overseas students who struggled to find alternative accommodation at short notice, and others were refused compensation by their banks.<\/p>\n One victim with cancer used his savings in the hope of renting the flat and was left to sofa-surf at friends.<\/p>\n At the appeal hearing in August, Ali Bajwa KC, for Priestley, said the sentencing judge failed to take his gambling addiction into account as a cause of the offending.<\/p>\n Bajwa said that prison had had a “considerable sobering effect and a deterrent effect” on Priestley and asked for the sentence to be suspended.<\/p>\n Lady Justice Andrews said Priestley had shown he “did not care” about his victims, “but only about himself” and said that custody was appropriate.<\/p>\n Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds<\/a> and follow BBC London on Facebook, external<\/a>, X, external<\/a> and Instagram, external<\/a>. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk, external<\/a><\/p>\n