Bank worker stole £127,000 to feed Gambling Addiction

Bank worker stole £127,000 from customers' accounts after getting into debt with payday loan companies to feed her gambling addiction

• Julia Finney, 29, made nearly 200 transfers from customer accounts
• Fraud went unnoticed at Barclays in Birmingham for more than three years
• Her lawyer told court:'It all went on short term loans and gambling'

By Steve Robson
PUBLISHED:04:26 EST, 4 July 2013| UPDATED:07:57 EST, 4 July 2013

Facing jail: Bank worker Julia Finney, 29, stole more than £127,000 from Barclays customers in Birmingham

A bank worker who got into debt through gambling and taking out payday loans is facing jail for stealing £127,000 from customers' accounts.

Julia Finney, 29, from Birmingham, made nearly 200 transactions siphoning off money from customers into a temporary account she had created for the fraud.

The tactic went unnoticed for for more than three years while Finney was working as a cashier at the Barclays branch on Colmore Row in Birmingham city centre.

Her lawyer told Birmingham Crown Court all the money had been used to pay off of short-term payday loans she had taken out to pay off gambling debts.

Finney had been employed by the company since 2004.
The fraud involved the transfer of fictitious amounts using a 'sundries account' at the bank and Finney then made credits into her sole and joint accounts.

She was caught out during a routine audit by the bank, who called in police.

Yesterday, she pleaded guilty pleaded guilty to the theft of £127,471 belonging to Barclays customers between January 1, 2010, and January 20 this year.

Richard Dewsbery, defending, told Birmingham Crown Court: 'It all went on short term loans and gambling.'

Finney was released on bail and will now be sentenced on July 31.

Judge Nicholas Webb adjourned sentence for reports to be prepared on Finney, who wore a dark trouser suit with a grey top and who only spoke when she entered her plea.

Mark Phillips, prosecuting, said the Crown would be seeking to establish what level of responsibility she had at the bank before the July 31 hearing.

Fraud: Finney was working at this Barclays branch on Colmore Row in Birmingham when she began stealing money

 

He also said it was unclear whether the defendant, who was of previous good character, was 'bound to be caught' over the fraud.

 

The Crown would only be seeking a nominal amount in a Proceeds of Crime application against Finney, as she did not have any assets, Mr Phillips added.
The Judge warned Finney: 'The fact that I am adjourning for reports and renewing your bail must not be taken by you as an indication of what the sentence will be. I think you know what is almost inevitable in this case.

Addiction: Finney's lawyer told the court all the money had been used to pay off payday loans she had taken out because a gambling problem

 

'The fact that you have pleaded guilty is an important and significant factor.'
After the case Alan White, spokesman for Barclays Bank, said: 'Safeguarding our customer's money is our one of our highest priorities.

'Whilst rare, staff fraud simply isn't tolerated. We work with the relevant authorities to ensure matters such as this are dealt with in the appropriate way.'

He added that all customers who lost money were refunded.


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