A mother-of-two who lived in a £1million home has been jailed for stealing more than £166,000 from a Birmingham estate agency in what a judge described as "pure greed".

Hemalatha Jayaprakash, 44, from Great Barr, executed a calculated three-year fraud scheme against her employer while working as a personal assistant and office manager at Northwood Estate Agents.

She made nearly 160 illegal transactions between January 2021 and March 2024, paying herself £167,067.68 from company funds.

The married defendant "wailed in anguish" as she was sentenced to two years and three months at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday, May 21.

Jayaprakash had been hired as accounts manager in 2012 before being promoted to personal assistant to the director, giving her full access to company finances.

The mum has been sentenced at Birmingham Crown CourtGETTY

Her fraud was only detected when the business was sold in 2023, and accounts were examined during the transaction.

Estate agency director Nin Rehal described the "profound and long-lasting impact" of his trusted personal assistant's betrayal, revealing how Jayaprakash stole money while he cared for his terminally ill mother in her final days.

Rehal, aged 57 and a father-of-two, told Birmingham Live: "As well as running the day-to-day business, my wife and I were also caring for our two children and for both of my parents as well as working full time - my wife is an NHS cancer scientist.

"I used to confide in Jayaprakash in daily meetings, sometimes in tears, but she would tell me not to worry about the office, all is in control with the team.

"It absolutely devastates me to see this was all smoke and mirrors so she could continue to manipulate the franchise software and conceal stolen funds from the business and client bank accounts."

Rehal revealed how Jayaprakash spent freely on lottery tickets as well as Greggs breakfasts and Deliveroo lunches in the office on a daily basis, while he was forced to remortgage the family home to keep the business running.

Rehal's family endured two funerals two years apart while Jayaprakash was stealing money - his father died during Covid in August 2020, followed by his mother in December 2022.

He rejected claims by Jayaprakash's barrister that she did not live a "lavish lifestyle", pointing out that the married mother-of-two had purchased her £1million home outright in 2018. Meanwhile, he was using family savings and selling assets to make ends meet.

The fraud worked as a personal assistant and office manager at Northwood Estate Agents

The most devastating moment came when Jayaprakash stole more than £6,000, knowing Rehal was out of the office because his mother had passed away just 24 hours earlier.

Adding insult to injury, she then appeared at his mother's funeral "flowers in hand" with her husband, presenting herself as a caring colleague.

Rehal added: "This is the level of greed, deception and betrayal we are dealing with. This fraud was not opportunistic; it was calculated, pre-meditated and a sustained scheme executed over multiple years."

The stress took a severe toll on his mental health, leaving him with anxiety and insomnia that made daily functioning difficult. Rehal has since attended six sessions of support counselling to cope with the psychological impact of the fraud.