A naive bank clerk fell prey to a man on the internet and transferred £20,000 to his account from another customer's funds, a court heard.

Safia Choudhary, 20, of Lady Lane, Chelmsford, admitted stealing a credit balance while employed at Lloyds bank TSB, Chelmsford, in January.

She received a one year prison sentence suspended for two years.

Judge Chris Ball Q.C. said it was a serious breach of trust to the bank and their customers and created an air of suspicion over other staff. But he said the circumstances were exceptional and Choudhary was of previous good character.

The judge told Choudhary, "Some unusual force compelled you to do it. You were foolish enough to get yourself into a relationship with a young man who exploited you. You are going to have to come to terms about that and do something positive about it."

The help, the judge explained, would come for the probation service in the form of a one year suspended supervision order.

John Caudle, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, said on January 14 Choudhary used another bank employee's name on another employee's computer terminal to transfer £20,000 from a client's account to that of a man she knew.

The money was withdrawn in two amounts.

It was quickly detected and Choudhary told police she paid the money into the account of a man she met on the internet.

The man who received the money was prosecuted in the London area.

John Donnolly, mitigating, said Choudhary had also paid the man £4,000 from her bank account.

She had taken out a loan of £17,500 and was in arrears with the repayments.

A girl who was clever enough to obtain a place at Essex University, Choudhary was vulnerable and under stress but she had the support of her family, said Mr Donnolly.

Published Monday August 12, 2002

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