Kelly Kershaw jailed 16 months after Nationwide fraud admitted — Cashier
Nationwide cashier Kelly Kershaw was jailed for 16 months at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday after admitting five counts of fraud. She stole at least £8,605 from customers over 12 months, with the court hearing that the losses came from vulnerable account holders in Caernarfon.
Judge Timothy Petts told her: "You deliberately targeted vulnerable victims, and your motivation was greed." He also said: "You say you don't recognise yourself at that time, but the reality is that if you steal so much on so many occasions, then this is the person you are."
Caernarfon Crown Court
Kershaw, of Nefyn, Gwynedd, worked for Nationwide in Caernarfon and admitted the fraud after investigators confronted her in October 2024. She told them her victims were "easy targets who wouldn't miss the money."
The court heard that she stole money between December 2023 and October 2024, including £6,300 from an 85-year-old man who had suffered a stroke. She also forged the signature of a man with learning disabilities and other elderly customers.
Nationwide investigators
An internal investigation began after suspicions of forged signatures and cash withdrawals made without customers' knowledge. Nationwide investigators confronted her, and she admitted everything.
The case came to light after colleagues saw Facebook posts showing holiday trips, including safari travel in Africa and visits to Paris, Tuscany and Dubai. Those posts helped expose the scale of spending that did not match her role behind the counter.
At the branch level, the case leaves a clear warning for customers who rely on staff to handle withdrawals and signatures. Kershaw logged one withdrawal as £500 when a customer had asked for £200, then pocketed £300, showing how the fraud was carried out in ordinary transactions rather than through a single large theft.
The sentence closes the criminal case against a 49-year-old cashier who used her access to customers' money over many months. For affected account holders, the practical point is that the money was taken through routine branch transactions, not through a separate account breach.
