Barclays banker jailed for £300k theft

A personal banker with Barclays in Bristol has been given a three year jail sentence after stealing £300,000 from two customers' accounts to buy himself a house.

Robert Styles pleaded guilty to fraud charges when he appeared before Bristol Crown Court earlier this month.

The court heard how Styles appropriated £150,000 from his first victim after he asked for it to be transferred out of a savings account into a bond.

Instead, Styles transferred the money into his own account.

He went on to steal £150,000 from another client, which he subsequently passed to his solicitor for the purchase of a house in Styles' name.

The ruse was discovered after the son of one of the victims noted unexpected bank account activity and reported it to Barclays.

In mitigation, the defence said that as a result of his fraud, Styles had lost his job and wife and is now suffering from depression.

The court also heard the house had been sold and the money used to reimburse the bank.