A taxi driver falsely obtained $25,000 from the Bank of Bermuda after a teller mistakenly gave him the number of another man’s account.

Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons told father-of-two Clyde Ian Saltus that it “must have taken a lot of nerve” for him to keep returning to the bank to withdraw money from an account which he knew was not his.

She gave him a six-month jail term suspended for two years but warned the 31-year-old: “If the next offence is an offence of dishonesty, you will be going to jail.”

Prosecutor Cindy Clarke told Supreme Court that Saltus, of Happy Valley Road, Devonshire, went into the Front Street branch of the bank on August 24, 2004, and tried to withdraw $6,000 from his account.

“The teller checked the account and discovered that there were only 44 cents in this particular account,” said Ms Clarke. “She rechecked the banking system and found another account in the name of Clyde L. Saltus and it had sufficient funds.”

Ms Clarke said the teller crossed out the account number written on Saltus’ withdrawal slip and inserted the number for the other account, which belonged to Clyde L. and Anita L. Saltus, before handing over the money.

Saltus returned to the bank the next day and withdrew another $5,000 from the account. The teller on that occasion filed a report because of his suspicious behaviour and the amount of money involved.

But the results of her report were not received until September 10 allowing Saltus to make three more withdrawals, from the Church Street branch of the bank, of $5,000, $7,500 and $7,800.

He obtained $31,300 altogether but was only charged in connection with the final four withdrawals, totalling $25,300, because of the teller’s mistake on the first occasion.

Saltus, who has numerous previous convictions for dishonesty, admitted four charges of obtaining money by false pretences.

Attorney Larry Scott, mitigating, said the bank had led his client to believe he had funds in an account. “Then, when he was interviewed, he said: ‘Ah, I see what has happened here’,” said Mr. Scott.

But the judge said: “You can’t blame the bank. Mr. Saltus knew that the account number he was presenting to the bank was not his bank number.”

Saltus, who suffers from depression, told the court: “I’m very sorry for what I done. I really didn’t know there was another Clyde Saltus.” He said he “couldn’t sleep nights” after his crimes, adding: “I ain’t doing this no more.”

Mrs. Justice Simmons said: “You went in there every time. You were very bold.” She gave him the suspended jail term and a two-year probation order and also ordered him to pay the money back to the bank — which had to reimburse the other Clyde Saltus — at a rate of $100 a week.