A scheming bank manager who plundered customers’ accounts for her own gain has been told she was guilty of a “gross breach of trust”.
Sharon Grange siphoned-off thousands of pounds a month from unsuspecting clients at the Nationwide Building Society in Blairgowrie.
Over the course of a year the Dundee mum embezzled a staggering £12,400 from two individuals before her crime came to light.
Perth Sheriff Court heard that Grange had been a longstanding and trusted member of staff at the building society but found herself saddled with gambling debts incurred by a former partner.
When she found herself unable to pay, the 30-year-old hatched an unsustainable plan to pilfer sums from tills she had access to.
Knowing that her crime was about to be revealed, she used her computer access to find likely accounts to pillage in a doomed effort to replace the money.
She settled on two described as “dormant” as there had been little recent activity and over time drained a significant sum of money for each.
As the deception spiralled out of control she began to create false documentation to support the transactions.
When her actions were picked-up by bosses at Nationwide she was almost instantly dismissed and the police called in to investigate.
Solicitor John Boyle said that it had almost been a relief for his client, who was so lost she could see no way out of her difficulties.
He said: “She had significant debts. These were not her own but were gambling debts incurred by a former partner.
“Sadly she was in no position to pay this back and she found herself on a slippery slope that led to her accessing accounts in an attempt to cover her tracks.
“Miss Grange is deeply sorry for what happened. She was in a significant position of trust, had worked at the branch for some time and had good relationships with staff and customers.
“She knows that she has let them all down very badly.”
Mr Boyle said his client, who has a nine-month old daughter, was taking steps to pay back the debts owed but had yet to begin repaying the building society.
He said Grange could offer £60 a week towards compensating the Nationwide, which had covered the losses to its customers, and would increase the sum if she secured work.
Grange, of Barnes Avenue in Dundee, admitted embezzling from the building society while employed as a bank manager between May 1, 2015 and April 2, 2016.
Sheriff Gillian Wade told her that custody was appropriate but said she was willing to consider an alternative given her previous good character and the punishment jailing her would inflict upon her daughter.
“This was a serious breach of trust that involved a substantial embezzlement of funds,” she said.
“It obviously spiralled out of control to the point that you had stolen £12,400 from client’s accounts, leaving them out of pocket.
“It is obviously incredibly important that the sum taken is paid back as soon as possible.”
The sheriff ordered Grange to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered her to pay back the sum taken.
