Nationwide Cashier Ordered to Repay £12,000 After Stealing from Customers
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Bank Cashier Outed by Holiday Photos After Stealing £8k is Ordered to Pay Back Money
Kelly Kershaw stole from vulnerable customers to fund several expensive holidays.
By Charlie Buckland | BBC Wales | Published 31 minutes ago
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.
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.
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.
She was initially jailed for 16 years in May but returned to Caernarfon Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing. The court learned she benefited £13,333.26 from her crimes and had £12,630 in assets.
Judge Nicola Jones ordered Kershaw to repay the sum within three months or face an additional five months in prison.
The mother-of-two posted pictures of skiing trips, safaris, and romantic European getaways on her Facebook page, boasting she was "living and loving life one adventure at a time."
Kershaw's victims included an 85-year-old man with cognitive abilities compromised after a stroke and a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties. She stole £6,300 from the former and £1,400 from the latter. On one occasion, she logged a withdrawal as £500, pocketing £300 herself.
During the May hearing, prosecutor Elen Owen said Kershaw's lavish lifestyle raised suspicions among colleagues at the branch with a high number of vulnerable customers. She was arrested and admitted five counts of fraud.
Defence barrister Amy Edwards noted Kershaw's "compulsive spending addiction" at the time and expressed her remorse to each victim.
Judge Timothy Petts emphasized the need for Kershaw's imprisonment as a deterrent to other cashiers, stating, "While working as a building society cashier, you betrayed the trust placed in you by your customers."