Wadsworth was promoted rapidly at the Lloyds TSB branch in Golders Green, north London, aboveA crooked woman bank manager stole almost £1million in a 'sustained, sophisticated and calculated course of deception', the Old Bailey heard today.
Ania Wadsworth, 28, was a respected and trusted boss at a branch of Lloyds TSB for five years, but was repeatedly helping herself to wads of £25,000 that were supposed to be used in the bank's cash machines.
She manipulated in-house accounts to hide her deceit from bosses and auditors, it was said.
Wadsworth, who started out as a team leader but was swiftly promoted to operations manager at the Golders Green branch in north London, is accused of stealing £921,716 between 2002 and 2007.
When the scam was uncovered in March 2007 Wadsworth admitted taking the majority of the money but said she did it under duress from her boyfriend Keith Preddie, 30, who was 'from the wrong side of the tracks'.
Wadsworth claims Preddie threatened and intimidated her in to stealing in order to pay off his spiraling drug debts.
He is accused of banking more than £145,000 of the stolen cash between 2003 and 2005.
Prosecutor Mark Paltenghi said the case did not involve a complicated paper trail and electronic transfers but the 'taking of physical cash and removing it from the premises'.
Wadsworth and Preddie began their relationship 12 years ago, while she was still a 16-year-old schoolgirl and he was 18.
She 'came from a normal background' but unemployed Preddie struggled with drug addiction and debt and was living in a 'crack house', spending £500 a day on his habit.
They split after eight years together, during which time Preddie had spent time in prison.
Wadsworth started work at the Golders Green branch in 2000 and within a year was appointed operations manager, with responsibilities for loading cash machines.
She started stealing small amounts from the till, but over time it 'increased considerably'.
'As far as money in the cashpoints were concerned, she said these would be bundled up in £25,000.
The statue of justice stands on the copula of the Old Bailey: The court heard that Wadsworth admitted stealing around £870,000 but claimed Preddie had forced her in to doing it'She was usually the last person to leave the bank and during the day she would simply leave aside a bundle of cash and take it away with her when she locked up.
'She said she had done this a number of times,' said Mr Paltenghi.
Wadsworth was to tell police she took the cash home to Preddie, who created a constant fear that 'he was able to kill her'.
The prosecutor added: 'On several occasions she took more than one bundle with her for him.
'She would cover up what she had done by debiting foreign accounts.
'When she was in control of the cashpoints she was the person to load it and balance and it was her responsibility to raise any discrepancies.'
Wadsworth was able to send off paperwork without being monitored and for more than a year 'did not have the managerial support' that would be expected.
Mr Paltenghi added: 'How was Miss Wadsworth able to get away with it for so long? Trust, opportunity and a sophisticated cover-up.'
Jurors were told that Wadsworth admitted stealing around £870,000 but claimed Preddie had forced her in to doing it.
She said she gave him her wages, which ranged between £1,000 and £1,8000 a month, and was forced to take out three loans.
Wadsworth claimed 'she was scared he would come after her and her family and she lived a life of fear for four or five years', said the prosecutor.
'She said she wanted to get out of the relationship but couldn't and she said she had been assaulted on many occasions.'
But Mr Paltenghi said there was evidence Wadsworth had benefited from the scam herself although she kept her account overdrawn to prevent unwanted attention.
'It may be the last thing that Miss Wadsworth would want to do, a woman on a modest income with an account held at the bank, seen to be injecting large sums of cash,' he said.
'Given the large amount of cash involved you may feel this required a sustained, sophisticated and calculated course of deception. In short, covering her tracks.
'That us what Miss Wadsworth did in this case. You will hear evidence from one of the expert investigators as to how it was done.
'She would regularly manipulate the in-house bank accounts to ensure what she was doing and had done was not detected.'
Wadsworth, of Archway, north London, denies theft. Preddie, of Romford, Essex, denies money laundering.
source: dailymail
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