A THIEF who walked into a bank and pretended to be a woman conned a series of Barclays Bank cashiers into handing over more than £480.

Credit card crook Michael Rodes doesn't walk, talk or dress like a lady - but was able to plunder a woman's account by pretending to be her.

Bank staff failed to notice the 23-year-old was signing his female victim's name as he made a string of withdrawals.

Rodes, of Glen Street, Hebburn, South Tyneside, found the card in Newcastle and in the days that followed visited five different branches of Barclays Bank.

Each time, he approached cashiers and forged the woman's signature to take cash from the account.

It was only after he had obtained hundreds of his victim's money that bank staff realised he was not a woman and contacted police.

Now, the online gambling addict has been convicted of the fraud at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, where he also admitted two charges of assault, which left one victim unconscious and the other with a missing tooth.

Of the fraud charge, Andrew Waters, prosecuting, said the defendant found the BArclaycard which had been lost in Newcastle city centre on July 12.

"He (Rodes) went into Barclays Bank, Gateshead, presented the card as his, asked for £99, which was complied with, and left after signing the card-holder's signature.

"What happened after that is he went to South Shields Barclays Bank and obtained £95 in the same manner.

"On the next day, Saturday July 13, he went to a store in the MetroCentre and paid for something worth £19.99, using the signature of the card-holder.

"On July 15, he went to the Tyne Dock Barclays Bank and made a withdrawal of £99, using the same method, then Barclays Bank, Jarrow, Gateshead, again and Northumberland Street, Newcastle, each time taking £95 cash out by signing the woman's signature.

"At 1.50pm he went to Barclays Bank on Percy Street, Newcastle, and again attempted to withdraw £95 and at that time, the person realised the account holder was supposed to be female and Mr Rodes was detained and the police were called."

Julia Russell, defending, said: "He tells me the signature he signed was her full signature and clearly he is not the lady whose card it is.

"There has been no sophisticated means by which he has sought to take the money out and this matter would have been stopped in its tracks if Barclays bank had intervened."

Rodes admitted two charges of fraud by false representation and one count of obtain by deception. He also admitted two counts of assault, causing actual bodily harm. He was given a 12 month community order, 12 months' supervision and ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work.

A Barclays spokeswoman said: "Barclays spend a great deal of time and money protecting the interests of our customers and guard against the actions of would-be fraudsters.

"It is out policy to ensure that no customer who is a victim of fraud suffers financial loss as a result and we always co-operate fully with the police."

Frank Nesbitt, a management board director at the North East Fraud Forum, said: "For someone to be able to do what has happened here. I am not surprised because I know how fraudsters work.

"But as customers, we should not expect this, especially in the current climate. We should be able to faith in our banks."