Former security guard jailed for 40 months after using old uniform to swindle £117,000 from London bank

A former G4S security guard who donned his obsolete uniform to dupe bank staff into handing over more than £117,000 in cash—then immediately fled to Ghana—has been sentenced to 40 months in prison, a UK court heard this week.

Kwabena Kissi, 40, appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. The elaborate heist unfolded on July 5, 2022, at the Santander branch in Brixton, south-west London, where Kissi meticulously exploited his “inside knowledge” of the bank’s security protocols.

The Deception

Dressed in his old G4S uniform, complete with a helmet, mask, and visor, Kissi walked into the branch unannounced. CCTV footage presented to the court showed him calmly navigating the street before entering the building. Unwitting staff members, assuming he was the scheduled custodian, promptly buzzed him through the secure vault area.

Otis Williams, the branch’s vault manager, had just prepared £256,000 in 11 separate bags for collection. Kissi wasted no time, gathering bags containing a total of £117,200, placing them into a briefcase, and walking out unchallenged. When a staff member remarked that he was “there a little early,” Kissi calmly replied that he was operating a new route. As the prosecutor noted in court, “No suspicion arose at that stage. He did what any custodian from G4S would have done.”

The Getaway and the Escape

The true scale of the theft only became apparent when the actual G4S guard arrived for the scheduled Tuesday collection. Staff realized they had been duped, but by then, Kissi was long gone.

Surveillance footage showed him discarding his uniform, changing into civilian clothes, and hauling a black bin bag containing the stolen cash along the road. He then ordered an Uber—using his own phone number and name—and fled the scene. By the following day, July 6, 2022, Kissi had boarded a flight to Accra, Ghana, where he remained out of reach for nearly four years.

Justice Delayed, Not Denied

Detective Constable Stuart Ponder, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, explained the painstaking work that eventually cracked the case. “We identified Kissi as our suspect thanks to extensive CCTV enquiries and phone evidence that linked him to the minicab he used as his getaway vehicle,” DC Ponder said. “When we found that he had left the UK the day after the fraud, we feared he might never come back to face justice. We kept our eyes on him and officers were at the airport to arrest Kissi off the plane when he returned earlier this year.”

Kissi was finally apprehended in March 2026 upon landing back in the UK. Initially, he attempted to claim mistaken identity—but investigators found he was still carrying the very same mobile phone used to book the getaway Uber, providing damning forensic evidence.

Courtroom Fallout

During sentencing, defence lawyer Piers Walter argued that Kissi had fled to Ghana to care for his severely ill mother. However, Judge Rosa Dean was uncompromising, telling Kissi he had wilfully exploited his “inside knowledge” of the banking system. She handed down a custodial sentence of 40 months.

The crime left a deep impact on the bank’s staff. Marlon Louis, a Santander employee of 25 years who was on duty that day, described feeling “devastated and worried he might lose his job. This person has put my whole life in jeopardy,” he told the court.

Metropolitan Police officials have praised the swift cooperation between agencies, ensuring that even a four-year flight across the globe did not shield the perpetrator from eventual prosecution.

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