Shamed banking security boss faces prison over £2.4m scam

Jessica Harper took the money over a four-year period while working as head of fraud and security for digital banking.

Her scam was uncovered after an internal review by Lloyds who called in police and Harper was arrested.

Yesterday the 50-year-old stood in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, in London, and showed no emotion as she spoke quietly to plead guilty to the fraud.

Harper is believed to have earned around £70,000 a year, but embarked on a scam by submitting false invoices to claim payments to herself totalling £2,463,750, some of it spent on renovating a second home in France.

She was dismissed in January after the scam was uncovered.

Antony Swift, prosecuting, said Harper’s crimes were a “very simple fraud” and she admitted what she had done “within 10 minutes” of the first interview with police.

Mr Swift told the court Harper had already repaid £300,000 and was in the process of selling her house in Croydon, south London, for around £700,000 to give back to Lloyds.

Harper has entered guilty pleas to a single charge of fraud by abuse of position and a second charge of transferring criminal proceeds – the money, from Lloyds to herself.

Carol Hawley, defending, told the court: “She understands perfectly well on the next occasion she will be facing imprisonment of some length.

“There are some matters to attend to, not least she is in the process of taking steps to repay significant sums of the money that has been taken and has already cashed in her pension and various other shares.”

The court heard that Harper’s mother lived in France and some of the money had been spent on property there.

The defendant had also been “keen” to make a visit to France but her passport has been confiscated by police.

Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith bailed Harper on condition she does not apply for any international travel documents, lives at her home address and observes a night-time curfew.

Sue Patten, head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Central Fraud Division, said: “Jessica Harper has today been convicted of the type of crime the bank employed her to combat.”

Harper will be sentenced on September 21.