Banker stole £2m to buy parrots

A FINANCIAL adviser who plundered more than £2m from client accounts at his bank to fund his passion for rare and exotic birds has been jailed for nine years.

Lee Gardiner, who worked at Lloyds TSB in Sevenoaks, Kent, used the money to build up a valuable collection of 100 birds.

The former treasurer of the Avicultural Society of Great Britain stole up to £41,500 at a time from accounts by targeting elderly customers who he thought would not spot his frauds.

He built up one of the largest collections in Britain to include 30 rare species in specially-built aviaries in the 10-acre grounds of his house in Hever, Kent.

But the bank called in the fraud squad after they became suspicious when he transferred almost £1m to his girlfriend's account.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 24 counts of theft totalling £2,172,432.40 and asked for 204 similar offences to be taken into account.

Sentencing him at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Andrew Patience said: 'This is an enormous sum of money. I take into account the fact that you pleaded guilty and that you have a reasonable sense of remorse.

'Nevertheless I have to consider what was a sustained and calculated fraud. You targeted customers of the bank who were vulnerable, being single, elderly and sometimes disabled and with a very limited financial means.

'This was disgraceful and outrageous conduct on your part. Each of these customers trusted you.'

Prosecutor Mark Lucroft said Gardiner worked at the Lloyds TSB branch in Sevenoaks High Street from 1992 until he was dismissed in August last year.

He said: 'His job was selling investments, life assurance and savings policies to customers at Lloyds TSB. In that role, he was required to build up a professional working relationship with the customers of the bank. He was required to help customers, including elderly people who relied almost entirely upon him for their financial direction.'

When questioned over the huge transactions, Gardiner claimed to be investing the money for his customers but instead bought birds including blue and gold macaws, palm cockatoos, pesquet's parrots and ganggang cockatoos. Some were worth £25,000 a pair.

He housed the collection - the largest in Britain and the second largest in Europe - in 20 lavishly appointed aviaries. Gardiner, who was known in bird circles as a leading official of the Avicultural Society, spent £700,000 buying and feeding his parrots.

His position at work gave him access to the main computer and he took up to £41,500 a time from accounts.

But bank chiefs called in police to investigate when £ 900,000 was switched to his partner Claire Richards's account.

Gardiner tried to avoid jail by selling his collection in a bid to repay the debts and moved in with his parents.

The jailing stunned parrot lovers who knew him as a quiet man. Raymond Sawyer of the Avicultural Society described him as 'charming' and said he was one of Britain's biggest collectors.

Sawyer said: 'He is a charming man. He was always very honest as a treasurer - he obviously had a bit of a brainstorm.'

Before his sentencing, Gardiner spoke of his 'immense regret' at the fraud after his love of birds went overboard.

Lloyds TSB said all the customers had since been repaid.