FINNIGAN: BANKER STOLE FROM THE DEAD

A banker who stole more than £600,000 from dead, elderly and disabled customers to fund his online gambling addiction has been jailed for four years.

James Finnigan, 42, plundered £80,000 from a trust fund set up to care for a 40 year-old woman with Down’s Syndrome when her parents died.

He also raided the estate of a wealthy woman after her death and told her grieving family that the money had been given to him as a gift.

Finnigan, who worked a financial planning manager for Barclays in Twickenham, west London, got away with the thefts for more than five-and-a-half years.

In total he stole £616,005.24 in 43 separate transactions between January 2004 and September 2009.

Prosecutor Nicholas Mather said: ‘His responsibilities included advising customers in relation to investments, tax and the management of their accounts.

‘The victims were either elderly or otherwise vulnerable, the youngest being 50.

‘Some of them were deceased at the time of the offences, some of them have died subsequently.

‘Mr Finnigan would have known their circumstances. The fact he chose these victims shows he thought he would be less likely to be discovered.

‘One victim was completely confused about her situation, but she had put her trust in Mr Finnigan.’

In one case the family of a woman who died in February 2008 discovered £143,438 had been taken from the estate.

‘Mr Finnigan attempted to cover his tracks by lying to the family of the deceased,’ said Mr Mather.

‘They had been told that the money had been charitable donations as well as gifts to him. Of course he wasn’t entitled to accept any gifts and she had made no such charitable donations.’

One elderly woman had £23,029.64 taken from her account while she was in hospital.

Finnigan took £80,600 from a trust fund set up by Nnennanya Emeruwa for her 40 year-old daughter who had Down’ Syndrome.

‘It was supposed to care for her when Mrs Emeruwa died,’ said Mr Mather.

‘The defendant assured her he would set up that trust fund.’

Another £180,000 was stolen from the account of an elderly man with severe arthritis.

Finnigan either made direct bank transfers into his own bank account or forge signatures to enable the transactions to go through.

The court heard he used the money to pay off his ‘maxed’ £50,000 credit card and in online casinos.

Defence barrister Richard Sharpe said Finnigan was a ‘pillar of the community and keen father’.

‘None of his family or friends had a clue as to what was going on. He kept it all bottled up inside.

‘In 2002 he fell into a spiral of depression and he fell into gambling. His addiction took over.

‘He came under enormous pressure at work with the merging of the banks and he would come home after a difficult day and gable away until the early hours of the morning.

‘He didn’t realise quite the extent of what he was doing. He has been punished. He has lost his job, his standing in the community. He stands before you a broken man.

‘Gambling got its claws into him. It has ruined his life.’

Judge Jeremy Benson QC said: ‘You were in a position of trust and you targeted the accounts of people who were generally in later years.

‘On one occasion you lied to the family of the deceased in order to cover up what you had done. These are very serious offences.

Finnigan, of [10] Cedar Avenue, Twickenham, pleaded guilty to one count of theft and 12 counts of fraud by abuse of position.

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