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An estate agent conned her employer out of over £66,000 after being deeply trusted. Frances Leach, whose role involved managing properties, has been sentenced for the fraud. ‌

In November 2023, the managing director of the Tynemouth company, Mark Small, noticed a large decline in profits. He asked Leach about it and she came up with an excuse and he asked her to compile a report. ‌

When she failed to do so, which was uncharacteristic as she was usually efficient, he became suspicious and discreetly launched his own investigation, the Chronicle reports. ‌

That revealed a hidden tab on a spreadsheet with unexplained refunds of more than £57,000 over a six month period. The amount would typically have been around £2,000.

Mr Small, who runs Signature North East's lettin

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