A FRAUDSTER who transferred his share of a house to avoid paying his creditors has been jailed for four months.

Sarper Djevdet Ahmet, 57, was declared bankrupt in August 2015, but had been experiencing debt issues in the months before then.

In January 2014, Ahmet gave instructions to solicitors to transfer his £40,000 share of a property in Clacton to an ex-partner despite them having already split up.

Within three months, the transfer was complete and he went on to discuss a debt management plan with a finance company in a bid to find a way to pay people back what he had owed.

However, during the talks, Ahmet failed to mention anything about the property issue.

When he was declared bankrupt, the official receiver - which manages bankruptcies and winding up orders when they are brought about by courts - began making further inquiries.

The asset was eventually discovered laying bare Ahmet’s deceit.

He later said that he was concerned that his ex-partner would be forced to sell the house to cover the cash he owed to others.

Ahmet, of Pallister Road, Clacton, admitted fraudulent disposal of property during a hearing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court.

Arwel Jones, legal services director for the Insolvency Service, said deceit was not an option when it comes to bankruptcy situations and it was always better to be honest with the authorities.

He said: “Experiencing bankruptcy is a difficult situation for anyone going through it.

“But this does not excuse Sarper Ahmet’s behaviour when he tried to hide his interest in a property so he could avoid paying his creditors what they were owed.”

Mr Jones welcomed the tough sentence handed out at court and said he hoped it would be a striking deterrent to anyone thinking of pulling a similar stunt.

He said: “The fact that he received a custodial term demonstrates the severity of his crime.

“We hope this serves as a clear warning to other people that there are serious consequences for those who try to hide their assets from the Official Receiver.”