A BANK call centre employee, who tried to divert money from customers' accounts to pay off his debts, yesterday successfully appealed for leniency from a crown court judge.

Coleman Hessian, 26, who admitted attempting to obtain money transfers of up to £10,000 by deception from Barclay's Call Centre customers, made his plea for mercy at Durham Crown Court.

As a telephone advisor at the call centre, on Sunderland's Doxford International Business Park, he had access to customer's account details.

Hessian, of Tunstall Terrace, Thornhill, Sunderland, first rented a flat in the city in April, said Roger Liddle, prosecuting.

Then he changed two bank customers' addresses to that of his flat. Following that, he arranged for new cashpoint PIN cards to be posted to the flat and set up standing orders to transfer thousands of pounds to the accounts.

Mr Liddle said Hessian almost succeeded, but for the flat landlord intercepting one of the posted cards and returning it to Barclays, saying no one of that name lived there.

The bank's fraud investigation department discovered his dealings and stopped the cash transfers. Hessian was arrested and made immediate admissions.

Roger Elsey, mitigating, said Hessian was an engineering graduate of previous good character who took the call centre job as "a stop-gap".

Prior to sentence, Hessian told deputy circuit judge Denis Orde: "I'm aware what I did was very serious and very stupid and I'm very sorry.

"I have interviews and offers lined up, and any custodial sentence would severely limit my ability to be a civil engineer."

Judge Orde described it as "a considerable breach of trust" but said Hessian appeared an otherwise "perfectly decent young man" who had now lost his good reputation.

He imposed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for a year and ordered Hessian to pay £150 costs.