A North Finchley estate agent who tricked people into handing over hundreds of pounds without providing them with a home has been jailed for eight months.

Kamran Khan rented a property in Hendon in 2005. He then advertised it for rent in Loot magazine, took deposits of £600 from numerous people but none were provided with accommodation.

Khan, of Knight Court, Constable Close, Friern Barnet, was arrested in August 2006 but went on to set up ACE Sales and Lettings, in High Road, North Finchley.

The 25-year-old appeared at Harrow Crown Court last Wednesday, where he was jailed for six months for obtaining property by deception and two months for being in possession of a class A drug.

An acquaintance, who did not want to be named, said: "He comes across as a smooth character but is a bully. Everyone around here is intimidated by his methods which have involved beating up competitors and he is a nasty piece of work. I hope prison puts him out of business, the business he is running involves handling money and trust and he has abused both."

Investigating officer Detective Constable Paul Crowther said: "Khan is a professional con man who fraudulently letted rented properties through the Loot magazine. Numerous victims were taken in by the scam."