Serpent
01-15-2003, 10:32 PM
This is amazing. I cannot believe that the woman thinks her family is in the right. She calls it "the bank's mistake"!
Wife whose husband took 'free money' asked: Who wouldn't have?
January 16 2003
An English building society lost more than $2.5 million when its computer systems broke down and its cash machines began spewing out money. As word spread, people queued throughout the night to use the machines, a court heard. And one, whose husband and daughter were jailed, asked: "Who wouldn't have done it?"
Any amount they requested was paid out, regardless of the security PIN number they keyed in. The only limit was the thickness of the wad of notes that would squeeze through the dispensers.
The problem went unnoticed for five days, allowing individuals to return up to 20 times and take thousands of pounds in illegal withdrawals.
When police tracked some of them down, they found that the money had quickly been spent on cars, air tickets and new furniture.
One family which took out more than £130,000 paid the price at Coventry Crown Court on Tuesday when the husband, son and daughter were jailed.
They were among a dozen people who admitted pocketing a total of £285,000 from the Coventry Building Society last August.
Four others were jailed and five received community service and compensation orders. More people are due to appear and police say that 30 have still to be caught.
Jubert Crosdale, 47, a painter and decorator, and his daughter, Charlene, 20, a student, were each jailed for 15 months. His son, Leroy, 22, an administrator, received 12 months. All admitted conspiracy to steal, as did Mr Crosdale's wife, Catherine, who is awaiting sentence.
Between them, they took £134,410. By the time police arrested them they had bought an Alfa Romeo, air tickets to Jamaica and a sofa.
Mrs Crosdale, 45, from Foleshill, Coventry, said: "We are just an ordinary, hard working family who thought it would be some extra cash. Who wouldn't have done it?
"I am just in shock. To send my daughter, who has a one-year-old son, to jail for 15 months is ridiculous when it was the bank's mistake.
"It is a victimless crime and the bank gets its money back from insurance anyway.
"First time burglars don't get sent to jail, but a young mother gets sent down for taking money out of a slot."
Coventry Building Society said: "We would like to provide reassurance that no accounts belonging to any other of our customers were involved in this fraud."
The lost money would be made up by the society's insurers and compensation paid by defendants.
The Telegraph, London
What do you all think of that?
Wife whose husband took 'free money' asked: Who wouldn't have?
January 16 2003
An English building society lost more than $2.5 million when its computer systems broke down and its cash machines began spewing out money. As word spread, people queued throughout the night to use the machines, a court heard. And one, whose husband and daughter were jailed, asked: "Who wouldn't have done it?"
Any amount they requested was paid out, regardless of the security PIN number they keyed in. The only limit was the thickness of the wad of notes that would squeeze through the dispensers.
The problem went unnoticed for five days, allowing individuals to return up to 20 times and take thousands of pounds in illegal withdrawals.
When police tracked some of them down, they found that the money had quickly been spent on cars, air tickets and new furniture.
One family which took out more than £130,000 paid the price at Coventry Crown Court on Tuesday when the husband, son and daughter were jailed.
They were among a dozen people who admitted pocketing a total of £285,000 from the Coventry Building Society last August.
Four others were jailed and five received community service and compensation orders. More people are due to appear and police say that 30 have still to be caught.
Jubert Crosdale, 47, a painter and decorator, and his daughter, Charlene, 20, a student, were each jailed for 15 months. His son, Leroy, 22, an administrator, received 12 months. All admitted conspiracy to steal, as did Mr Crosdale's wife, Catherine, who is awaiting sentence.
Between them, they took £134,410. By the time police arrested them they had bought an Alfa Romeo, air tickets to Jamaica and a sofa.
Mrs Crosdale, 45, from Foleshill, Coventry, said: "We are just an ordinary, hard working family who thought it would be some extra cash. Who wouldn't have done it?
"I am just in shock. To send my daughter, who has a one-year-old son, to jail for 15 months is ridiculous when it was the bank's mistake.
"It is a victimless crime and the bank gets its money back from insurance anyway.
"First time burglars don't get sent to jail, but a young mother gets sent down for taking money out of a slot."
Coventry Building Society said: "We would like to provide reassurance that no accounts belonging to any other of our customers were involved in this fraud."
The lost money would be made up by the society's insurers and compensation paid by defendants.
The Telegraph, London
What do you all think of that?