Ex-Nationwide cashier jailed 16 months for £8,605 theft from vulnerable

Kelly Kershaw, a 54-year-old former cashier at a Nationwide Building Society branch in Caernarfon, North Wales, was sentenced to 16 months in prison on Friday after admitting to stealing £8,605 from five vulnerable customers over 11 months in 2023 and 2024.

The court heard that Kershaw, who had worked for Nationwide for 17 years, targeted elderly and vulnerable clients at the branch, which served a high number of such customers following her transfer there in June 2020. Her victims included an 85-year-old man who had suffered a stroke and lost some cognitive abilities, from whom she stole £6,300, and a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties, from whom she took £1,400. The latter customer's bank card was stored at the branch for safekeeping after he had previously been defrauded.

Prosecutor Elen Owen told Caernarfon Crown Court that Kershaw processed cash withdrawals but pocketed some or all of the money herself, sometimes forging signatures or logging larger amounts than requested. For instance, on one occasion, the stroke victim sought to withdraw £200, but Kershaw recorded £500 and kept £300.

Colleagues grew suspicious after noticing Kershaw's lavish lifestyle, including...