Man took credit slips from bins to get cash

Harker, of Pockeredge Road, Corsham, rummaged through bins at Buckley Barracks, where he worked as a driver, to get discarded receipts which he then used to transfer money into his own account.

Swindon Crown Court on Monday was told he had previous convictions for deception and theft.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said in April last year a Mr Sneddon complained that his debit card had been used to make payments into a City Bank account. When this was investigated it was found that the money had been transferred into Harker's account.

Mr Meeke said that a significant number of other transactions crediting the account from debit and credit cards were also uncovered. When arrested Harker told officers he would scour the bins for credit card slips containing the complete card numbers on them. Using his telephone account, he would credit himself with money from the cards taking a total of £1,904.

He said that he only took small amounts ranging from £25 to £100 so his actions were not immediately spotted .

Mr Meeke said: "He said he also stole a credit card from the mail slots at Buckley Barracks. He also obtained the PIN number and used it to withdraw £750 from the account. It was also used at Sainsbury's in Chippenham."

The court heard that in 1995 Harker, then a postman, was jailed for five months when he took mail home to look for credit cards.

In 2000, he was jailed for more deceptions involving buying goods over the telephone with stolen credit card numbers.

Harker pleaded guilty to three thefts, eight counts of dishonestly retaining wrongful credits and asked for 42 other matters to be taken into consideration.

Marcus Davey, defending, said Harker had served in the RAF for ten and a half years, seeing action in the Falklands, leaving the forces in 1989.

He said the total loss over all of the offending was just over £2,500 and Harker realised that he faced a prison term.