Employee Nicole Knight stole almost £80,000 from West Berkshire estate agents Sansome and George
A TRUSTED employee nearly bankrupted an estate agents business by stealing almost £80,000.
She did so by siphoning off rent money and deposits from customers of estate agents Sansome and George, which has offices covering Kingsclere and Newbury, Theale, Mortimer and Tadley.
In the dock at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, June 11, was Nicole Knight.
The 52-year-old, of St Mary’s Avenue, Purley, had enjoyed the absolute trust of company managers, who said they were devastated to discover her cynical deception.
Directors told the court the business nearly went under and continues to deal with the financial and emotional repercussions of Knight’s greed.
Donna Tulio, prosecuting, said Knight was only caught because of errors which led to an audit.
It then emerged that Knight had been creaming off tens of thousands of pounds and squirrelling it away in various bank accounts.
Ms Tulio said trusting staff thought she was a “workaholic” because, even on holiday, she would not allow colleagues to access her emails.
In reality, she was covering her tracks, the court was told.
Knight admitted stealing £78,481.45 from the company between October 14, 2020 and October 10, 2023.
Company top brass said they believed the financial damage to the company far exceeded the sum in the charge.
Director Paul Bampton said in a victim impact statement: “The emotional strain continues to take its toll.
“I’ve given my whole working life to this company… 28 years of blood, sweat and tears.
“This act, by a person I trusted, almost tore the business down.
“Would the business survive?
“What would be the impact on our reputation?
“The burden was huge; I struggle to understand how someone could be so selfish… she has a total lack of remorse for her sickening greed and dreadful actions.”
Mr Bampton said he felt ashamed for having trusted Knight and added: “We used all the reserve funds the business had to put things right… we had to pay far in excess of what she’s been charged with.”
Another director, Charles Hayes, told the court: “We built our reputation on trust and reliability… her actions affected our business, our clients and the community.
“We treat our employees like family and our reputation is everything to us.
“The emotional toll has been devastating; we’re still finding evidence of stolen money – it’s ongoing.
“On a personal level the sense of betrayal has been overwhelming; we considered her a friend and supported her through difficult times.
“We’re still having to reimburse clients on a daily basis.”
Catherine Brymer, defending, was preparing to offer mitigation on her client’s behalf when presiding magistrate Nigel Woodley told her: “If it’s a helpful indication, at this stage we feel this should be sent to the crown court for sentencing.”
Magistrates had already read pre-sentence reports, since Knight had admitted the single charge at a previous hearing.
Mr Woodley added: “We’re well aware of the difficulties Mrs Knight has faced but the indication at this stage is that it should be sent up, unless you have strong representations otherwise.”
Mrs Brymer indicated that she did not and magistrates therefore declined further jurisdiction.
Knight will therefore be sentenced by a judge sitting at Reading Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
She was meanwhile released on unconditional bail.
