Bank worker conned customers, court told

A senior bank worker withdrew thousands of pounds from elderly clients’ accounts and diverted their bank statements so they would not notice, a court heard.

Prosecutors at Cardiff Crown Court said suspicions were raised when a customer appeared to have withdrawn money from her savings account two weeks after she died.

Anne Peterson, 59, who worked for Lloyds Bank in Barry, denies four counts of fraud amounting to around £17,000 and is on trial.

Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett said: “The case involves alleged theft of money from bank accounts at the Lloyds Bank in Holton Road, where at the time, this defendant worked.”

Mr Bennett said the counts related to two “elderly” customers – William Tovey and Rona Wilson.

Mr Tovey went to the branch in Barry Docks in November 2014.

Giving evidence, the 83-yearold told the court: “I’ve used the bank for 50 years.”

He explained he opened an ISA and paid in £20,000 of savings and inheritance a few years before the alleged incident.

Asked if he made or authorised any withdrawals, he replied: “I never took anything out at all.”

The court heard he told a member of bank staff how much should have been in the account and realised some of the money had gone.

Prosecutors said the matter was investigated and the bank began to look for “suspicious” transactions. Prosecutors allege Peterson took a total of £5,080 from Mr Tovey.

Mr Bennett said: “All that money was effectively stolen from Mr Tovey by this defendant while she was working at the bank.”

Investigators also suggested she had changed his preferred delivery address for bank statements from his home address to the branch address.

The prosecutor added: “The statements were diverted so he would not be able to find out what was going on. This was effectively the defendant covering her tracks.”

Investigators found the defendant had also changed the statement delivery address for Ms Wilson.

The court heard Ms Wilson died on September 3, 2011 and investigators found her account had been “stripped of its contents”.

Mr Bennett said: “Money was withdrawn from her account after she died.”

Prosecutors allege Peterson took £12,000 from Ms Wilson in three transactions and £5,080 from Mr Tovey in six transactions, making a total of £17,080.

Peterson was arrested denied any dishonesty.

She told police she was on annual leave at the time of the alleged offences and believed someone must have misused her personal security code.

Peterson, from Somerset Road East, Barry, denies fraud. The case is before Judge Stephen Hopkins QC.

The trial continues. and