Kelly Kershaw, a 54-year-old cashier at the Nationwide Caernarfon branch in Wales, stole from vulnerable customers between 2023 and 2024, multiple reports indicate. Her victims included a 49-year-old man with learning difficulties, an 85-year-old stroke victim, and other pensioners. Kershaw was suspected of forging customer signatures and processing cash withdrawals without consent, according to the reports.
Kershaw was a trusted member of staff who had worked for Nationwide for 18 years. Her employment with the building society ended in November 2024, a Nationwide spokesperson confirmed. The spokesperson said they could not comment on ongoing criminal proceedings but confirmed the employment ended in November 2024.
An internal investigation was launched in October 2024. Kershaw later admitted to five counts of fraud from 2023 to 2024, though the total amount she stole has not been disclosed. She will be sentenced on May 8 at Caernarfon Crown Court.
Kershaw had a take-home pay of £1,400 per month but posted on social media about expensive holidays to destinations including Dubai, the Maldives, Indonesia, Paris, Tuscany, Greek islands, Mexico, Norway, and an African safari. She accepted that she used stolen money for holidays to the Caribbean and elsewhere. Prosecutor Huw Evans noted that staff observed she was having numerous expensive holidays and appeared to be living beyond her means.
Kershaw claimed to have a compulsive shopping addiction, gave money to beggars, and paid household bills with the stolen funds. She is now working for a cleaning business, according to her defense lawyer Michael Strain. Strain said she had lost her job, good name, and reputation for honesty.
Nationwide has paid £8,630 in compensation to Kershaw's victims. The probation service described Kershaw's offences as despicable, while Magistrate Sue Wynn-Jones said her victims were particularly vulnerable. The outcome of the internal investigation launched in October 2024 has not been made public, and details about the close-knit community Kershaw moved to remain unclear.