Lloyds Bank Fraud Prevention Chief Defrauds Own Bank of £2.4m

A former Lloyds Bank executive has admitted defrauding the bank of £2.4m while she was in charge of the digital banking fraud and security section.

Jessica Harper, 50, from Croydon, south London, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by abuse of position and one charge of money laundering for submitting false invoices to claim payments between 2007 and 2011.

The defendant was found guilty at Southwark crown court and will be sentenced on 21 September.

"Harper has today been convicted of the type of crime the bank employed her to combat," said Sue Patten, head of the fraud division at the CPS.

"The evidence in the case was clear and left Harper with little choice but to plead guilty.

"She has admitted to a huge breach of trust against her former employer."

Harper was arrested in December when the bank detected the fraud.

Prosecutor Antony Swift described Harper's scheme as "a very simple fraud". She will have to sell her house to repay £700,000 back. She had already returned £300,000 to Lloyds, the court heard.