### Birmingham Mother Secretly Attends Court After Vanishing From £1 Million Family Home
A Birmingham mother has been jailed for fraud after secretly leaving her family home—worth £1 million—under the pretence of attending a work appointment, only to appear at Birmingham Crown Court for sentencing. The family, who thought she was preparing for a holiday and a new job, were left devastated and in the dark about her criminal proceedings until her imprisonment was revealed.
Hemalatha Jayaprakash, aged 44 and a mother of two, vanished from her affluent Great Barr residence as her family packed for a trip to India. She informed her husband she was going to view premises for her supposed new job. In reality, Jayaprakash was appearing in court to answer charges of fraud and abuse of position, after stealing over £166,000 from her employer.
None of Jayaprakash’s relatives, including her husband and children, were aware of the proceedings against her. Sources suggest she hoped that by pleading guilty, she might be spared a prison sentence—and that her secret would stay hidden. However, on Wednesday 21 May, the court sentenced her to two years and three months behind bars. In the meantime, her anxious family launched a desperate search, fearing she had been involved in an accident, with her husband even reporting her missing to authorities.
Speaking to the press following the revelation, Mr Jayaprakash expressed utter disbelief at his wife’s actions. Reminiscing about the days before her disappearance, he said the family were happily preparing for their holiday, with no inkling of her secret. He added that his wife’s deceit was extraordinary, especially as the family was not under any apparent financial strain: “We have not been struggling financially,” he stated, questioning what could have driven her to such lengths.
The details of the crime emerged in court. Jayaprakash, who managed a portfolio of rental properties and resided in a luxury property purchased outright, still defrauded her employer, Northwood estate agents, over the period of 12 years. In her role as a personal assistant to the director, she made more than 150 unauthorised transfers from company and client accounts to her personal bank, siphoning funds to the tune of £167,062.68 between January 2021 and March 2024.
During court proceedings, Jayaprakash claimed that some of the embezzled funds were spent on her child’s school fees and sent to support family members in India after their homes were destroyed by flooding. However, her husband disputed at least some of these claims, asserting he had paid for their daughter’s schooling and that relatives in India had received no such financial assistance.
The managing director of Northwood, Nin Rehal, said the crimes had caused “immense distress” and left his own family facing hardship. He described how he discovered significant financial discrepancies when he sold the business in December 2023, triggering an internal audit. The bogus payments were traced back to Jayaprakash, whom he characterised as having abused his absence during a family crisis to increase her thefts.
The judge, Recorder Amy Jackson, remarked on the magnitude of Jayaprakash’s fraud, noting her privileged background and questioning why someone so well-established felt the need to steal. “This was pure greed,” she stated during sentencing, highlighting the calculated and prolonged breach of trust.
As Jayaprakash was led away from the courtroom to begin her sentence, she reportedly broke down in tears. Her defence pointed out to the court that her family remained “regrettably unaware” of her guilt throughout the process. The judge explained that Jayaprakash would serve up to 40 per cent of her 27-month prison term in custody.
Looking ahead, a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act has been scheduled for August, where confiscation orders and potential compensation will be discussed. For now, the family remains left to grapple with the emotional and financial consequences of a crime that has upended their lives and shocked their local community.
This case throws a spotlight once again on the profound impacts financial crimes can have—not just on businesses and victims, but on the unsuspecting families left in their wake. The judgement sends a strong message about personal responsibility and the severe ramifications of breaching trust in a professional and personal setting.