Bank manager stole £5k from tills

Sarah Shaw was responsible for counting up cash from the tills at a branch of Barclays in Wolverhampton.

But over a six-month period, rather than cashing up properly, the operations specialist stole a total of £5,153.

At Wolverhampton Magistrates Court yesterday, Shaw was handed a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

Mr Roger Bleazard, prosecuting, told the court Shaw had worked for Barclays for 10 years. She resigned shortly after her bosses at the Stafford Road, Bushbury, branch discovered money had gone missing.

Mr Bleazard said: "She took the money from February to July this year. She was taking small amounts of money each time. It added up to just over £5,000.

"Others she worked with must have come under scrutiny. There was an internal investigation and the police were involved. It was a breach of trust. It's ironic she was in financial difficulties considering her position at a bank."

Mrs Debbie Starrs, defending, told the court 32-year-old Shaw had been candid with the police and bank bosses and admitted her wrongdoings straight away.

Shaw, of Parsons Street, Dudley, who is currently unemployed, admitted theft by employee and fraud by abuse of position.

District Judge Michael Wheeler told her: "You were trusted by your employer and you betrayed that trust because of your financial problems. You have lost your good name and employment."

Judge Wheeler ordered Shaw complete 200-hours of unpaid work, pay £5,000 compensation to Barclays and £85 costs.

The case is one of a number that have gone before courts in the Black Country in recent months involving bank workers.

In April crooked bank cashier James Michie was jailed for two years for stealing more than £25,000 from dementia sufferer Michael Turnbull. Michie, a Barclays Bank employee, from Oak Road, Brewood, targeted an 87-year-old's account.