Bank Worker Drained Retired Irish Couple's Account

A bank worker, who stole £56,000 from an old family friend's retirement pot when they moved back to Ireland, was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday.

Maura Kealy, 57, was a co-signatory on the HSBC account opened in 1992 by Christopher and Bridget Behan because the couple trusted her to take care of their retirement fund.

Spinster Kealy, of St. Peter's Place, Arklow, County Wicklow, a former senior customer services officer at the bank's Surbiton branch in south-west London will also have to repay the money.

She pleaded guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court to stealing £56,101 between June 26, 2001 and September 21, 2010 from Mrs Behan, 83.

Prosecutor Mr. Richard Germain told the court Mrs Behan, who now lives in Limerick, and her late husband had known Kealy's parents for forty years so went to see her to arrange their finances.

"The Behan's wanted their pension payments transferred to Ireland and the defendant advised them to open an account on which she would also be a signatory.

"Because she was trusted by them they agreed and £900 was to be transferred to Ireland every month."

Sadly Mr. Behan passed away and when Mrs Behan was hospitalised in 2010 her relatives took responsibility for her finances and discovered the thefts.

"They found a large number of unauthorised transactions had taken place on the account.

"There were a large number of withdrawals for lottery tickets, scratch cards, eBay purchases, Amazon, WH Smith's, Argos and credit cards."

Kealy was arrested at her then home in Brentford, west London on May 9, 2013.

"She denied she had been dishonest and said she mistakenly used the Behan account."

Kealy continued denying the thefts up until day one of her proposed trial, when she eventually pleaded guilty,but had forced Mrs Behan to make the unnecessary journey to Dublin to give evidence via video link.

Mrs Behan also had to travel to London during the investigation to collect her original bank statements from HSBC because Kealy refused to send them to her.

Following her arrest Kealy moved to Ireland to care for her ill mother and bought an ex-council property with her share of the inheritance when she died.

"Mrs Behan feels a great sense of shock at what happened because she regarded Kealy as a friend and feels let down," added Mr. Germain.

"She says she would like compensation, but makes the point time is not on her side."

Kealy's lawyer Mr. Charles Digby told the court his client had survived breast cancer and a stroke without family support.

"She's lived a rather solitary life," he said of the first-time offender. "Even today she has sat outside with her head down trying to hide from the world.

"She had a gambling problem, an addiction to scratch cards and things like that and is deeply ashamed of her behaviour."

Kealy may now lose her home under Proceeds of Crime Act Legislation and a confiscation hearing was fixed for April 1 next year.

Judge Georgina Kent told her: "You are remorseful and regretful, but continued to try to minimise your actions as some sot of mistake.

"This is a very serious offence in high breach of trust  and was a great shock to Mrs Behan. 

"They were vulnerable people facing retirement and were reliant on you. You were in a position of responsibility and that is why they trusted you.

"Far too many people prey on elderly and vulnerable people, which is what you did in this case."