- Published
A building society cashier who stole thousands of pounds from customers to pay for "lavish" holidays has been ordered to repay more than £12,000.
asserted
who → publish → 12,000
Kelly Kershaw, 54, took at least £8,605 from vulnerable and elderly customers at Nationwide in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, even forging the signature of a man with learning disabilities.
asserted
Kershaw → take → disabilities
Kershaw admitted five counts of fraud after colleagues spotted Facebook posts of her on safari in Africa, and on trips to Paris, Tuscany and Dubai.
asserted
colleagues → admit → Paris
She was jailed for 16 months in May but returned to Caernarfon Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act, external hearing, and told to pay back £12,630 - the amount that the building society had to reimburse customers.
uncertain
society → jail → customers
Judge Nicola Jones ordered Kershaw to repay the sum within three months or face a further five months in prison.
asserted
Jones → order → prison
The mother-of-two posted pictures of skiing trips, safaris and romantic European getaways on her Facebook page and boasted she was "living and loving life one adventure at a time."
asserted
she → post → time
Kershaw's victims included an 85-year-old man who had lost some "cognitive abilities" after suffering a stroke - and she stole £6,300 from him.
asserted
she → include → him
On one occasion, he came to the branch asking to withdraw £200, but Kershaw logged the withdrawal as £500 and pocketed £300 herself.
asserted
Kershaw → come → 300
Another victim was a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties who lost £1,400 to Kershaw - he had his bank card kept in the branch as he was a previous victim of fraud.
asserted
he → lose → fraud
During the May hearing, prosecutor Elen Owen said Kershaw had been transferred to work at the branch in June 2020, which had a "high number of vulnerable customers."
uncertain
which → say → customers
"After a while co-workers noticed the defendant appeared to have a lavish lifestyle," she said.
asserted
she → notice → lifestyle
"She was regularly gong on expensive foreign holidays and there were other indications of extravagant spending."
asserted
She → gong → spending
Owen said "due to the suspicions raised" an internal probe was launched by Nationwide and identified five victims.
asserted
probe → say → victims
She said Kershaw, who also drove a personalised BMW convertible, would process cash withdrawals from accounts but pocket either some or all of the money from herself.
asserted
who → say → herself
Owen said Kershaw was interviewed by a financial investigator in November 2024 and admitted what she had done and was arrested by police.
asserted
she → say → police
"The total amount which can be shown to be taken fraudulently is £8,605, the building society did however reimburse customers to the total of £12,630," said Owen.
asserted
Owen → show → 12,630
Kershaw admitted five counts of fraud.
asserted
Kershaw → admit → fraud
Defence barrister Amy Edwards said Kershaw was suffering from a "compulsive spending addiction" at the time.
asserted
Kershaw → say → time
"She gave a full and frank admission to the offence and showed remorse to each of her victims.
asserted
She → give → victims
That is genuine remorse and regret for what she did," said Edwards.
asserted
Edwards → say → what
Judge Timothy Petts said Kershaw needed to be jailed as a "deterrent" to other cashiers so as to "prevent others from doing the same".
He told her: "While working as a building society cashier in Caernarfon you systematically stole £8,605 from five elderly or vulnerable customers over a period of 11 months.
"
asserted
you → say → months
Your pattern of offending was repeated.
asserted
pattern → repeat → offending
You forged peoples signatures or you would take their card to withdraw a large sum from the account and only hand over part of it.
"
asserted
you → forge → it
You were asked why you targeted those people in particular, you said they were 'easy targets who wouldn't notice the money going from their accounts.
asserted
money → ask → accounts
"The reality is you only stopped stealing money because suspicions were raised about your lifestyle, investigations took place and your fraud was discovered."
asserted
fraud → stop → place
The Aporia
