BLACKBURN, England, July 18 A British single mother has been charged with stealing a large amount of cash that was transferred to her bank account by mistake.
Sarah-Jane Lee allegedly ran through the $270,000 within two weeks, The Daily Mail reported. Investigators say she transferred about $200,000 to friends and relatives and spent thousands on a plane tickets for a planned trip to Disneyworld in Florida, a large-screen plasma television and other luxuries.
When Lee found that her account at the Abbey Bank in Blackburn was frozen when she tried to get spending money for the Florida trip, she realized she was in trouble, the newspaper said.
"I walked into the bank and held my hands up and waited for the coppers," Lee told The Daily Mail "I was arrested and searched in the middle of Abbey. I felt totally humiliated."
During a court appearance Monday, Lee admitted she knew the money didn't belong to her. But she also blamed the bank, saying employees gave confusing answers to questions about the "account adjustment" that put the money there and even suggested she open a savings account with her windfall, The Daily Mail said.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
