Jessica Harper, the former head of online security at Lloyds Banking Group has been served with a jails sentence of five years for stealing £ 2.5 million from the bank at a time when it was receiving bailout assistance from the government.

She is accused of illegally taking £2.5m from the bank over four years from 2007 while she was working as the interim head of fraud and security for digital banking. Harper, who is from South Croydon, Surrey, has admitted to fraudulent activities by abuse of position and transferring criminal property taken from the company.

She claimed that she deserved the money because of her hard work for the bank as she woke up 5.30am and returning home at 8pm while working for the bank. "If I went to work for another company I would probably be earning four times as much," she claimed.

Harper submitted 93 bogus invoices over four years and transferred money into an account set up by her. She gave away most of the money to her brothers for buying properties and holiday homes. Her elatives believed that she was earnings much more than her actual salary of £60,000 a year and is being generous.

Yesterday Harper has been jailed for five years after admitting fraud and money laundering.