Thief victims to get £68,000

A Kinver couple have been awarded £68,000 compensation after facing financial ruin when they fell victim to a crooked illegal immigrant who siphoned nearly £1.2million of taxpayers' money.

Floor-fitter David Holmes and his wife Kerry were about to sell their £500,000 home in Forest Drive to Birmingham City Council finance manager John Kaduwanema only for the sale to collapse when he was charged with theft.

Kaduwanema, aged 27, of Stag Road, Cannock, but originally from Uganda, diverted money from social services into his own bank account. He was jailed for seven and a half years in September.

But Birmingham Crown Court heard how Mr and Mrs Holmes, who had been moving to a more modest house, had been paying two mortgages and two lots of council tax since his arrest.

Judge Alan Parker ordered £68,000 compensation be paid to them out of public funds at yesterday's case. As well as escalating monthly payments of £2,000, they were also losing out by having to reduce the price of their house, still unsold, for a quick sale.