Fraud investigators found Rebecca Entwistle to be more than £7,000 in arrears at the time of the alleged offenses, the Shropshire Star reports.
She is currently standing trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court accused of stealing nearly £14,000 from 99 year-old Mercy Williams while she was the branch manager for Nationwide in Oswestry.
Entwistle is also accused of taking a combined total of £700 from the accounts of John Bartley and his wife who were customers at the mutual’s Wrexham branch.
Michael Hedges, senior branch manager at Nationwide in Wrexham said Entwistle was suspended while the investigations were carried out.
He told the jury documents relating to Williams were found in Entwistle’s office. They included a cheque, registration form and a power of attorney form.
Hedges told the court: “We asked her if she remembered Mr and Mrs Bartley and offered her an opportunity to look at CCTV. She said she couldn’t remember the customers. I was unhappy with the interview and the transactions.”
Amy Lockyear, fraud investigator, said she grew suspicious of the transactions for Williams after being alerted to the concerns of the Bartley’s.
She said: “I became suspicious of the withdrawals on the Bartle’ys account.
“I then became suspicious of the transactions she had keyed on Mercy Williams’ account.
“I looked at the CCTV at the time of the transactions and the customers weren’t in the branch.
“I checked the signatures which didn’t match those on the application form of the customers.”
The trial continues.
