A MANAGER who fraudulently stole £375,000 from a letting business to fund a lavish lifestyle has been jailed for 32 months.

Janine Pickett, of Gillingham, was given the sentence at Dorchester Crown Court earlier today for fraud by abuse of position.

The 47-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to the offence on 30 May 2014 at the same court.

The court heard that Pickett plundered the money from the Shaftesbury office of Dorset Lettings which she ran under franchise.

Between January 2010 and November 2013 she stole £375,000 of customer deposits and rental payments from bank accounts she managed.

Prosecuting, Miss Carolyn Branford-Wood told the court Pickett used the money to buy and look after numerous Welsh ponies, one of which cost £7,000, went on lavish holidays to Dubai and Florida and purchased a BMW car.

Further investigations revealed Pickett had altered documents including bank statements and financial audit records in an attempt to cover up the theft, the court heard.

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Declan Cummings, of Weymouth CID, said: “Janine Pickett’s selfish actions have had a significant impact on a large number of people.

“Not only the innocent customers who handed over their deposits and rent in good faith, but also Barrie George who is the owner of the Dorset Lettings brand.

“I hope the sentence handed out today sends a very strong message that crimes such as this will not be tolerated in Dorset.”

Barrie George, Director of Dorset Lettings, said: “On behalf of everyone at Dorset Lettings including the staff, landlords, tenants and suppliers, it is gratifying to see that justice has been served. “It has been a particularly stressful time for everybody and hopefully the conclusion of the legal case will help bring closure for all those directly affected.

“Fortunately, Dorset Lettings is an ethical ARLA licensed agent and client money protection insurance is a condition of the license. We were able to make claims on behalf of all the landlords involved and facilitated the claims for tenants to get their deposits back.

“We responded quickly to this crisis and I would like to pay tribute to all the staff who worked tirelessly under the most trying circumstances to help our customers. We continue to go from strength to strength.”