A BANK employee stole thousands of pounds from elderly customers to fund his gambling addiction.

Jan Olivier, who worked at Halifax for 17 years, was caught stealing money from vulnerable people and replacing it with cash from dormant accounts at the Poole branch. 

Prosecutor, Roderick Belin, said just after 1pm on July 5, 2022, CCTV footage showed an elderly customer in her 80s withdraw £200 from the bank.

He told Bournemouth Crown Court on June 26 that shortly after, at around 2.30pm, a second transaction of £2500 was withdrawn, which was not made by the customer.

Investigators found four days later, on July 9, 2022, the defendant withdrew £2500 from another customer account, which was dormant.

Olivier used this to replace the money he had stolen and then got approval from the branch manager to replace the funds from the second account.

When the manager tried to ring the customer to explain the credited money, he was unable to get through.

Investigators later found the defendant had changed the customer's phone number on her bank profile so the manager could not contact her.

On July 7, 2022, the funds were moved into Olivier’s personal account but was later repaid when he was caught.

In a similar incident on November 9, 2021, two withdrawals were made from an elderly customer’s account, one legitimate and one not.

Coincidentally £1000 was paid into the defendants account the following day before being returned to the customer two weeks later.

In a third incident, two significant withdrawals were made from another elderly customer.

£5000 was taken on March 20, 2022, and another £4000 six weeks later on April 20, 2022.

Days later large sums were deposited to the defendants account and on April 26 £9000 was credited to the customer so that her account showed no loss.

On the same day £5000 was taken from 89-year-old Edward Teggin, who was a regular attender of the bank and visited most days of the week.

This money was transferred to a female customer's account, which Olivier had stolen from.

Weeks later, on June 24, Edward was struck by a car in a road accident and died just days later.

It was only when Edward’s family were looking into his will and bank statements they noticed the discrepancies.

Jackie Greenslade (Image: Newsquest)

Jackie Greenslade, Edward’s daughter, told the court that she feels let down by the bank who ‘should have looked after her elderly father and his money.’

“Dad would have been very upset to know that someone he trusted would do something so evil.”

Mitigating, Robert Grey, said the defendant is a man of previous good character who came to England in 2003 from South Africa.

He said Olivier was so ashamed of himself he could not tell his wife he had been suspended from his job so pretended to go to work each morning for six months.

The court heard  the defendant is getting help for his gambling and his debts of over £30,000. 

Ms Recorder Eleanor Hourigan handed Olivier, 48 and of Stapehill Road in Ferndown, to a 24-month community order for five charges of fraud, along with 180 hours of unpaid work.

He will also have to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 12 sessions of a mental health treatment requirement.

Following the sentencing Jackie said the outcome was “absolutely despicable” and “no justice” had been done.

She told the Echo she has lost faith in Halifax and her father “would be turning in his grave if he knew what was going on”.