A DESK clerk is standing trial accused of stealing £55 from a wallet which was handed in at Colchester police station.

Nicola Grey, 55, was filmed on CCTV placing the wallet underneath a pile of paperwork when it was given to her at the front desk by a member of the public in October 2022.

When Scott Huckle phoned Colchester police station to ask if his wallet had been handed in, Grey took the £55 out of the wallet and placed the cash in her pocket, whilst telling Mr Huckle over the phone there was no money inside.

Found - a wallet had been discovered by a member of the public who handed the item into Colchester police stationFound - a wallet had been discovered by a member of the public who handed the item into Colchester police station (Image: Pexels) Mr Huckle arrived at the police station 23 minutes after the phone call and was told there had never been any money inside the wallet.

Gray denies one charge of theft and claims she has no recollection of taking the money.

She also argues she only realised she had taken the £55 when she felt the cash in her trouser pocket whilst she got dressed the following morning.

A transcript of the defendant’s police interview was read out to the jury at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.

In that interview, Gray, of St Denis Close, Harwich, said she suffers from memory loss which is “just menopausal or just brain fog, or something”.

She said in interview: “When I put a tissue in my pocket, I thought, ‘What the hell is that?’”

The court heard how the member of the public who initially handed the wallet in was then being accused of stealing the cash and came back to the police station “angry and distressed by the situation”.

In interview, Gray said: “They didn’t need to be involved because they hadn’t done anything wrong – it was me who had taken the money for whatever reason, I don’t know.

“There has been a terrible, terrible mistake – I went into complete panic mode and I was saying all sorts of things to him.”

Trial - a jury is hearing the case at Ipswich Crown CourtTrial - a jury is hearing the case at Ipswich Crown Court (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

Gray then told the member of the public the money was not in the wallet because she had put it in a safe at the police station – a statement she later admitted wasn’t true.

A police officer told Gray in interview: “Inside 20 minutes, you have forgotten you have removed the cash, forgotten you have put it in your pocket, and forgotten you did not follow protocol.”

Gray replied: “Yes, no, OK, I appreciate that.”

The trial continues.