A New Malden letting agent jailed for using thousands of pounds of his clients’ money to cover his business debts has been ordered to pay £25,000 to his victims.

Chandra Patel was jailed for 10 months having taken roughly £27,000 from 17 landlords when unexpectantly closed his company Giraffe Residential, in Coombe Road, in December 2014.

Many of the landlords were forced to reimburse clients out of their own pocket when Patel shut up shop.

From April 2016: Owner of New Malden letting agent Giraffe Residential jailed for ten months after using £27,000 of landlords' money to cover debts

He was jailed after a trial at Kingston Crown Court in April last year, after which one of the victims anonymously told the Comet he had still not covered the costs.

Including court costs, Mr Patel has three months to pay a total sum of £37,130 or face 30 months more in prison.

Andy Johnson-Creek, Kingston Council’s cabinet member for Trading Standards, said: “This sends a clear message that it is the perpetrator, not the victim, who pays for the cost of crime in Kingston.

“We are committed to achieving justice for victims and our membership of the South London Legal Partnership, and the sharing of trading standards expertise with Sutton Council, means we have the resource to match our desire, to make fraudsters like Mr Patel pay.

“We have begun the process of contacting the landlords affected by Mr Patel’s illegal activities so that they can be duly compensated."

From February 2015: Estate agents leave landlords feeling 'betrayed'

Landlords were only told in a letter from Patel that Giraffe would be dissolved and that “no payments can be made”.

Police and trading standards launched an investigation after receiving numerous complaints, with many landlords saying they felt “betrayed and cheated” by Patel.

Patel appeared before Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, February 1 where it was determined he had sufficient means to compensate his victims.