A MAN set up a bogus company and within days began to milk the credit and debit card details of clients of his former employer, a court heard.

Graham Keith Walker, 44, was yesterday (MON) jailed for 20 months after a court heard that he attempted to withdraw money from the accounts of 1,453 people, by sums ranging from £10 to £150.

In the space of a few weeks Walker attempted to obtain £161,976, but £122,660 was blocked or suspended by the two affected banking groups, Streamline and HSBC, which had provided him with credit facilities.

Durham Crown Court heard it left Walker benefiting by £39,316.

Walker, of Queensway, Shildon, County Durham, admitted two counts of fraud and one of converting criminal property.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said he acquired the banking details of customers of Bell's Auto Spares yard in Bishop Auckland, where he worked for several months between 2007 and 2008.

The court heard the information was on a memory stick he retained, using those details after setting up his own bogus business, United Business Solutions (UBS), purportedly offering clients advice and updates on sporting events by text message.

Miss Masters said within days of UBS 'going live' Streamline became suspicious as 429 transactions were processed for sums totalling more than £45,000.

When the card holders were contacted all confirmed they knew nothing about the transactions.

All subsequent transactions were then put on "divert" as further inquiries were made.

The court heard that when questioned Walker eventually admitted what he had been doing, although he claimed he had nothing fraudulent in mind when he left Bell's with the memory stick.

David Lamb, mitigating, said: "The motive behind this offending was to pay bills and arrears rather than live any lavish lifestyle.

"His wife ceased her job to look after elderly and infirm mother.

"But the consequences of this behaviour so far have led effectively to a divorce between him and his wife and probably the sale of the matrimonial home.

"He's also never served a custodial sentence so it will impact on him more than someone more criminally experienced."

Jailing him, Judge Christopher Prince told Walker: "This sort of offending does undermine public confidence in banking, and the credit and debit card system.

"Although no great criminal cunning was used, it was fairly sophisticated."

The Crown will now attempt to claw back the outstanding £39,316, all money lost by clients of HSBC, which the bank will have to 'stand', from Walker under Proceeds of Crime Act legislation.