A council accountant who stole more than £72,000 in rent payments from tenants has avoided an immediate prison sentence after a court heard she had been manipulated by scammers demanding money from her.
Amirum Begum, 49, abused her position at Portsmouth City Council by deliberately altering records of rental payments before keeping the difference for herself.
The long-serving employee, who had worked for the council for 27 years, stole a total of £72,582.17 between April 2022 and January 2023.
Begum was responsible for recording rent payments received from council tenants. Instead of accurately recording the full amounts collected, she would allegedly enter lower figures into the council’s system and pocket the difference.
The court heard that she then used much of the stolen money to purchase Amazon gift cards as she attempted to meet demands from people she had become involved with online.
Messages presented to the court showed that Begum had been subjected to coercion, intimidation or exploitation by individuals purporting to offer her a loan.
The circumstances bear similarities to other recent cases in which trusted council employees have exploited their access to financial systems. In one 2026 case, a former housing officer was sentenced after manipulating council systems to divert rent payments, deposits and other funds. In another case, a former Bolton Council employee was jailed after transferring almost £900,000 belonging to vulnerable service users.
However, the court made clear that being targeted or manipulated by scammers did not remove Begum’s responsibility for stealing public money.
Police became involved after discrepancies were discovered in Portsmouth City Council’s accounts.
Investigators found that the missing money had been taken over a period of several months, with Begum exploiting her trusted position and access to the council’s cash handling procedures.
She subsequently lost her job with the authority.
Appearing before the court, Begum pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to one count of theft by an employee.
One charge of acquiring criminal property and another relating to false accounting were left on file.
Despite the seriousness of the offence, Begum was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Bowes KC said the theft was a serious offence because the council served the community and was funded by public money.
The judge acknowledged the circumstances surrounding the scam and said the evidence showed Begum had become involved through coercion, intimidation or exploitation.
But he made clear that this did not excuse the theft, although it helped explain how events had unfolded.
Begum’s case also highlights the increasingly complex relationship between financial fraud and online scams. Gift cards have repeatedly featured in fraud investigations because criminals can pressure victims into purchasing them and then obtaining the associated codes or funds.
For public bodies, however, the consequences can extend beyond the immediate financial loss. Employees entrusted with handling public money are expected to maintain strict standards of honesty and accountability.
Portsmouth City Council said incidents of this nature were rare but were taken extremely seriously.
A council spokesman said the authority investigated the matter as soon as it became aware of the discrepancies and referred the case to police.
The council confirmed that Begum no longer worked for the authority.
It also sought to reassure its tenants that the incident, which occurred several years ago, had not affected the services they received.
Portsmouth City Council manages around 17,000 homes and said the amount stolen, while significant, represented a very small proportion of its overall annual rental income.
Following the discovery, the council said it reviewed its cash handling procedures and introduced measures aimed at reducing the risk of a similar incident happening again.
The case serves as a reminder of the difficult balance courts must consider when dealing with people who commit serious financial offences after themselves becoming victims of manipulation.
While the court recognised the pressure and exploitation Begum had experienced, the sentence also reflected the seriousness of abusing a position of trust and taking money ultimately intended to fund public services.
