Nationwide Cashier Ordered to Repay Over £12,000 Stolen From Vulnerable Customers

Kelly Kershaw, 54, a cashier at Nationwide for 17 years, systematically stole from five customers between June 2023 and May 2024. Her crimes came to light after colleagues grew suspicious of her affluent lifestyle, which included ski trips, safaris, and European getaways, as documented on her Facebook page. "After a while co-workers noticed the defendant appeared to have a lavish lifestyle," prosecutor Elen Owen told Caernarfon Crown Court. "She was regularly going on expensive foreign holidays and there were other indications of extravagant spending."

An internal investigation by Nationwide uncovered that Kershaw had been making fraudulent cash withdrawals from customer accounts. Among her victims was an 85-year-old man with cognitive difficulties, from whom she stole £6,300. Another victim, a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties, lost £1,400 to Kershaw, despite his bank card being kept at the branch due to previous fraud incidents. Kershaw admitted to targeting these customers because they were "easy targets who wouldn't notice the money going from their accounts."

Kershaw was jailed for 16 months in May after admitting five counts of fraud. During a subsequent Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, the court heard she had benefited to the tune of £13,333.26 from her crimes. Judge Nicola Jones ordered Kershaw to repay £12,630 within three months or face an additional five months in prison. The building society has reimbursed all affected customers.

Defending, Amy Edwards stated that Kershaw was suffering from a "compulsive spending addiction" at the time and expressed genuine remorse. However, Judge Timothy Petts emphasized the need for a custodial sentence as a deterrent, highlighting the significant breach of trust against vulnerable individuals. "Appropriate punishment in this case can only be achieved in my view by immediate custody," the judge stated. "The reality is such sustained fraud and breach of trust against vulnerable customers has to be taken very seriously. It shakes the confidence and trust in Nationwide and other financial institutions if cashiers in positions of trust such as you can skim off £8,000-plus without any consequences."