Building society boss, 47, is jailed for two years after she forged letters from a dead customer to steal £9,000 from his savings – and pocketed more than £180,000 over a decade
- Claire Free, 47, ordered her junior staff to move funds, claiming it was her ‘bonus’
- The grandmother of Whitchurch, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to theft by an employee
- The employee of 23 years will now face two years and six months behind bars
Claire Free, 47, has been jailed for two years and six months for theft by an employee
A building society manager has been jailed for stealing £180,000 and shamelessly raiding a dead customer’s savings.
Claire Free, 47, ordered her junior staff at Cardiff-based Principality Building Society to move funds into her personal account, claiming it was her bonus.
A decade of abusing her position through 149 underhand transfers saw the grandmother beef up her bank balance with other people’s hard-earned cash.
Free, of Whitchurch, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to theft by an employee and will face two years and six months behind bars.
She was finally snared when the son of a recently deceased customer discovered £9,170 had vanished from his late father’s account.
In the investigation that followed, the employee of 23 years was found to have forged the dead customer’s signature to authorise the transfer to her bank.
She did not splash the the total £187,70.63 on luxuries but instead funnelled it to family members, a court heard.
Alison O’Shea, prosecuting, said: ‘Senior managers at Principality Building Society became aware of Free’s actions when they received a complaint from the son of a deceased gentleman.
A decade of abusing her position through 149 underhand transfers saw the grandmother beef up her bank balance with other people’s hard-earned cash
‘He said £1,970 was removed from his late father’s account which had then been closed.
‘Free was suspended from work and a letter was recovered from the deceased authorising the closure of his account. That letter clearly had been forged.’
Miss O’Shea said: ‘The money was spent on living expenses and not on an extravagant or high lifestyle. Money went into her bank account and that of her family.’
Kevin Seal, defending, said: ‘One cannot imagine a greater fall from grace.
‘She was highly thought of at Principality Building Society and was promoted because of her industry in that profession.
‘There was no lavish lifestyle by any stretch of the imagination. The money filled in holes in her and her family’s financing.’
She ordered her junior staff at Cardiff-based Principality Building Society to move funds into her personal account, claiming it was her bonus
Recorder of Cardiff, Eleri Rees QC told her: ‘It is astonishing to find you in the dock after living most of your life caring for your family and working for 23 years at a building society.
‘But the reality is that over the last 10 years you stole money from Principality Building Society.
‘You were in a position of high trust described as a senior role.’
Principality Building Society based in Cardiff is the largest building society in Wales and the sixth largest in the United Kingdom.
She will face a Proceeds of Crime Act later this year to learn how much she will pay back.