A Halifax bank cashier stole over £56,000 from an elderly dementia sufferer to fund his gambling addiction.
Nasir Haider, 30, stole the money from the elderly customer over a three-year period and, according to an investigation, made payments of over £94,000 to a gambling company.
The pensioner banked at the Halifax branch in Acocks Green where Haider worked as a cashier earning just over £15,000 per annum, the Birmingham Crown Court heard.
The 78-year-old suffered from Parkinson’s, arthritis and diabetes which made it difficult to visit the bank. He also showed signs of dementia which led his family to make arrangements to obtain a Power of Attorney.
While going through the man’s bank statements the family noticed that substantial amounts of money were missing. They contacted police who launched an investigation.
Investigators discovered 54 suspicious transactions made over a three-year period which amounted to £66,300. They also found that Haider was linked to 43 of the transactions.
Shortly after, police uncovered CCTV footage of Haider taking over £2,000 out of the victim’s account on October 19, 2017, when the victim wasn’t present at the bank.
Phillip Beardwell, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said investigators had discovered that Haider had transferred the money to his own current and saving accounts through the deposit machine at the bank.
When asked about the withdrawals, Haider denied the accusations and rated himself “10 out of 10” for competence in his job. He also claimed that £25,000 of the money spent at the gambling company had come from an inheritance.
According to Birmingham Live, the 30-year-old escaped from being sent to prison after a judge took into account how a jail sentence would affect his family.
Haider, the father of a one-year-old child, was the sole worker of the house and claimed to have raised funds to pay the stolen money back.
Babir Adris, defending Haider, said the 30-year-old had felt “under pressure” following the death of his father before adding: “His escape was not drink or drugs but gambling. He thought that was his way.”
While Haider was originally sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to theft, the sentence was suspended and Haider was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
