A woman has been sentenced to carry out 100 hours of community service after being found guilty of illegally subletting her council house. Deborah Cox-Walker, aged 46, was allocated a residence in Wellington Street, Oxford, back in June 2023. However, instead of residing there herself, she promptly began renting it out for personal gain.
Oxford City Council, the provider of the property, revealed that Cox-Walker resided in Cheshire with her spouse while making an unlawful profit of £3,600 from subletting the house over a period of five months. Her illicit activities came to light as a result of an investigation conducted by the council’s counter fraud team.
Initially refuting the allegations, Cox-Walker eventually pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. In a recent court session, she was handed a community order requiring her to complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, she was directed to reimburse the council’s expenses, totaling over £2,000.
The ownership of the property, formerly under Cox-Walker’s control, has since been reclaimed by the council in March 2024. This action ensures that the house is now accessible to individuals genuinely in need of housing, as stated by the authority.
Councillor Ed Turner, the deputy leader of Oxford City Council, emphasized that this case underscores the council’s resolute stance on combating housing fraud. “By holding offenders accountable through legal proceedings, we want to make it unequivocally clear that fraudulent behavior will not be condoned,” he remarked.
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