A TRIO of financial "mules" who admitted to laundering more than £77,000 avoided jail after being handed suspended sentences.

BMW worker Edward Egbuniwe, Founay Timite and Joy Waigumo Pereira were each given six-month jail terms suspended for two years at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

They had all admitted converting criminal property when they appeared at the same court on February 1.

The court heard the three had allowed cash to be moved in an out of their accounts as part of a conspiracy to commit fraud led by Timite's husband Oladipupo Olatunji who is believed to have fled to Nigeria.

Egbuniwe, 34, of Benson Road, Slade Park, admitted converting criminal property worth £24,223, while 25-year-old Pereira, of Druce Way, Blackbird Leys, admitted converting £24,477.

Timite, 30, from Horley in Surrey admitted converting £28,598.

All the money laundering took place between March and December 2013.

Jane Brady, prosecuting, told the court that although the three were merely "mules" for Olatunji, who was Egbuniwe's landlord and knew Pereira socially, they had all benefited financially.

Defence barrister Jane Malcolm, representing Timite, said her client had been in an abusive marriage with Olatunji.

Ms Malcolm said: "She accepts she knew he was involved in some illegal activity and her bank account was being use to participate in that.

"She did not realise how serious it was."

Egbuniwe's barrister Clare Evans said her client, who has worked at BMW for 10 years, was a "hard working man" who was very sorry for what he had done.

Ronan McCann, defending Pereira, said she had been caught up with the "charismatic" Olatunji as she attempted to become financially independent from her family whilst at university in Derby.

Judge Ian Pringle told the three they would also have to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work each.