Robert Adewunmi, 32, from Slough in Berkshire, has been jailed for four years for stealing nearly £1m from the deputy prime minister's office.

According to reports, Adewunmi hid his criminal past and lied about his qualifications to work for John Prescott.

He set up a front company and created an imaginary colleague to systematically siphon off up to £133,000 at a time. In total he used £867,200 of taxpayers' money to clear his debts with the rest spent on expensive cars, a property portfolio and on family portraits.

Adewunmi admitted one count of fraudulent trading and one of money laundering between September 2003 and the same month the following year.

Passing sentence, judge Christopher Hardy said Adewunmi had masterminded an 'audacious fraud on a large scale'.