A nursery school boss who defrauded Sandwell Council by dishonestly claiming more than £25,000 in taxpayer-funded nursery fees has been jailed for 28 months.
Kaljit Randhawa, who ran the Little Genius Academy in Great Bridge Street, West Bromwich, was found guilty of 15 counts of fraud by false representation following a trial.
Randhawa, aged 33 of Inkberrow Close, Oldbury, defrauded the council out of Early Years Funding, which entitles parents to claim up to 30 hours of free childcare a week.
The court heard how she submitted false funding claims for children who had never attended the nursery – which was previously known as Baby Einsteins Nursery – and in some cases, how she made claims long after children had left.
False claims for funding were also submitted on behalf of parents who knew nothing about them and who had paid in full for their child’s nursery place.
She was sentenced to two years and four months in prison yesterday (Thursday 20 February) at Warwick Crown Court.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for resources and core services Councillor Wasim Ali said: “The case involved dishonesty over a two-year period. It came to light that the number of children at the nursery didn’t match the number the Early Years funding was being claimed for.
“This was systematic abuse of the systems in place to fund early years education for our children. Randhawa falsely claimed just over £25,000 in funding, in some cases for children who had never even set foot in the nursery.
“This sentence is a message to people that if you are defrauding the council, we will find out and we will prosecute you.”
Sandwell Council will also be pursuing a Proceeds of Crime Act case to recoup the fraudulently claimed fees.
