A FORMER York bank manager who stole nearly £10,000 by manipulating his branch's accounts has been jailed for six months.

Prosecutor Nicholas Ralph said that Saqib Ali, 29, used closed accounts at HSBC's Heslington branch to divert money into his own NatWest account. He also intercepted a credit card intended for someone else, which he used to make withdrawals from cash machines all over the York area.

Ali's barrister, David Cadman, said the money was used for maintenance items for his family home, such as a central heating system, and not to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Ali, of Little Meadows, Haxby, York, admitted stealing £9,958.58.

Mr Ralph said that Ali carried out his fraud between February 2002 and May 2003. He kept three closed accounts active by using his position as manager. Two of the accounts were personal accounts, the third had belonged to a business.

But in March 2003, bank superiors became suspicious and started an investigation during which they found credit slips in Ali's handwriting and computer transactions made under Ali's user identity. Ali was sacked in August 2003.

Mr Cadman said Ali had had a long wait beforel he was arrested in July 2004. He had repaid the money by borrowing from his relatives.

The theft had been out of character and Ali had co-operated both with the police and bank staff by admitting his guilt at once.

Judge Paul Hoffman, the Honorary Recorder of York, told him: "This was a gross breach of trust."

Updated: 09:31 Saturday, September 04, 2004