Greenwich fraud councillor avoids jail but faces uncertain political future

A councillor guilty of committing property fraud worth tens of thousands of pounds has avoided jail.

Tonia Ashikodi, 30, was given a suspended sentence at London Inner Crown Court on Wednesday, following her conviction for two counts of fraud by misrepresentation.

In sentencing, Judge Benedict Kelleher said her crime of applying for and living in council housing while she owned three other properties had denied other “more deserving” residents accommodation in the borough.

“As a result of your actions, another family would have lived in temporary accommodation unnecessarily,” Judge Kelleher said of the Greenwich Labour Party member.  

Cllr Ashikodi’s legal team had maintained she had been holding the homes in trust for her father, Tony Ashikodi, who was receiving rent and paying the bills on the properties.

But Judge Kelleher said her refusal to give evidence or call for witnesses during the trial had counted against her.

“It may well be that a sense of loyalty to your father prevented you from doing so,” he said. 

While emphasising the seriousness of her offence, Judge Kelleher said it was “balanced by mitigation”, including that she was the primary breadwinner in her home which she shares with her husband and their three young children.

“Many might say an example should be made of you,” he said.

“However, to approach the case in that way would be to ignore background circumstances.”

He said Cllr Ashikodi would probably have been entitled to council housing “at some period” during her tenure, although he refused claims that her husband, who has diabetes and hypertension, couldn’t assist her in caring for the children.

While he didn’t consider her subsequent appointment as a councillor as an “aggravating factor” as it came after she accepted council housing, he did find her refusal to resign from her position even after being encouraged by fellow councillors “might…demonstrate an absence of remorse”.

He did say her election as councillor displayed a “positive side of your character” but added the sentence “will inevitably bring your career as councillor to an end”. 

In imposing an 18-month prison term, suspended for two years, Judge Kelleher added that “some immediate punishment” must also be dealt, sentencing the councillor to an additional 250 hours of unpaid work.

Cllr Ashikodi remained silent and expressionless in the dock as the sentence was handed down.

The judge had earlier heard how Cllr Ashikodi’s actions cost the council £67,417.46 – the price of keeping another resident in emergency accommodation who would otherwise be residing in the council home occupied by her.

He was also told that she would have paid significantly lower rent than the market rate during her time in council housing between 2012 and June 2018 – a difference of roughly £90,500.

Cllr Ashikodi’s defence had earlier appealed to the judge not to impose a prison sentence, saying: “She’s the only one with a regular income in her house, however modest it may be.”

While Cllr Ashikodi had recently founded an “organic skincare shop”, it was running at a loss, and she had instead been living on benefits and her councillor’s allowance of roughly £10,000 a year.

While her defence conceded it was “clear her office as a councillor must come to an end”, he asked for a sentence “considering all her attributes” and was “mindful of the ages of her children”, who she had to take to school and church.

“She presents as a lady who is devoted to her community,” her defence said.

“She is not someone who has sought election to grandize her own position but actually in general serves the people she represents.”

The sentence comes after a 2018 investigation by Greenwich Council’s internal anti-fraud team in connection with the “ownership of a number of properties” by the councillor.

The Glyndon ward member was subsequently suspended by the Labour party but has remained on the council since being charged.

Any councillor sentenced to more than three months in prison, suspended or not, is automatically disqualified from council.

Cllr Ashikodi’s team has 28 days to lodge an appeal – during which time she can remain a councillor.