A Nationwide cashier has been ordered to repay more than £12,000 after she stole money from elderly and vulnerable customers to fund lavish holidays. Kelly Kershaw, 54, was found to have made fraudulent cash withdrawals from customer accounts over an 11-month period.
Colleagues became suspicious of Kershaw's lifestyle, which included ski trips, safaris, and European getaways, as documented in her social media posts. They noted she appeared to afford a luxurious life on her cashier's salary, prompting an internal investigation.
Investigators identified five victims, including an 85-year-old man with cognitive difficulties from whom Kershaw stole £6,300, and a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties who lost £1,400. Kershaw admitted to targeting these customers because they were "easy targets who wouldn't notice the money going from their accounts."
Kershaw, who had worked at Nationwide for 17 years, was jailed for 16 months in May after admitting five counts of fraud. She later returned to Caernarfon Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act application. The court heard she benefited £13,333.26 from her crimes, and £12,630 in assets were identified for recovery.
Judge Nicola Jones ordered Kershaw to repay the sum within three months or face an additional five months in prison. Nationwide has reimbursed all affected customers. Kershaw's defense cited a "compulsive spending addiction" at the time of the offenses, and she expressed remorse to her victims.