A former social housing employee has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for abusing her expertise to commit a £66,000 housing fraud.

Bolarinwa Odulate, a former-Southwark social housing officer, failed to declare she owned a property in Southwark when she applied for a second social housing property in Richmond.

A tip-off from a housing association led to the 38-year-old’s prosecution, carried out by Richmond and Kingston Councils’ shared Internal Audit and Investigation Team.

Investigators revealed Odulate bought a social housing flat under the Right to Buy scheme in Southwark in 2004, rented this property out and applied for a second social housing property in Richmond.

She failed to declare ownership or the additional rental income when she was award a flat in Teddington’s Southcott Road in 2009.

She was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on August 14 having pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud in July.

Richmond Council’s deputy leader, Geoffrey Samuel, said: “It sends a clear message that there’s every chance anyone who dares commit fraud in Richmond may very well end up behind bars.

“Bolarinwa Odulate abused her position of trust and took advantage of her level of expertise to take money from the very people she should have been protecting. Any potential fraudster beware – this could be you.”