NatWest bank worker spied on neighbour's accounts and then accused her of being a 'benefit scrounger' in bitter parking row

Published: 11:37, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 11:46, 3 June 2026 A NatWest bank worker was sacked after she was caught spying on her neighbour's personal accounts in a bitter parking row.    Emma Edwards, 49, launched a campaign of harassment against her neighbour Becki Gilroy, 35, after she started parking her car outside Ms Edwards' house.  In a particularly heated exchange the mother-of-two was accused of being a 'benefit scrounger' by Ms Edwards. Ms Gilroy - who is not on benefits but does receive money to help take care of her disabled daughter - demanded an investigation into how the bank worker knew about her financial situation. Her bank then discovered that Ms Edwards had accessed her bank account over 100 times. The mother, from Llanelli in South Wales, then contacted the police who revealed that Ms Edwards' invasion into Ms Gilroy's finances went much deeper. The force uncovered that Ms Edwards had accessed her neighbour's business account and a campaign fund to save her daughter's special school. Ms Edwards later admitted a criminal offence of harassment but was not prosecuted, due to it being a first offence, and she was instead handed an adult community resolution (ACR) - meaning she would have to take a behavioural course. Pictured: NatWest bank worker Emma Edwards who accessed her neighbours bank account and accused her of being a 'benefit scrounger'  Pictured: Becki Gilroy who found herself at loggerheads with her neighbour after she started parking her car outside Ms Edwards' house The row between the two neighbours started when Ms Edwards insisted she should be able to park outside both houses. Afterwards, she started to hurl vile abuse at the mother as she went to her car with her disabled daughter where she called her a 'benefit scrounging c***.' The cruel comments left Ms Gilroy confused as Ms Edwards had no way of knowing she had financial help from the state for her non-verbal daughter. The 35-year-old said: 'She didn't want me to park outside my own house. She said her family had lived there 20 years and had always been able to park their cars alongside both houses. 'This woman has a large drive that fits two or three vehicles on it, but she told me she didn't want to use it because it's been done with resin. 'Her drive is empty, but she is still adamant that she wants the space outside my house, too. 'I explained I wasn't parking there to be a pain, but I don't have a driveway, and it's the safest way for me to transport my disabled daughter to and from the car.' Ms Gilroy realised she had seen Ms Edwards wearing a NatWest uniform. So she contacted the bank in a bid to find out how her neighbour knew details about her personal accounts. She was told nothing was wrong before she demanded a formal investigation following more abuse from her neighbour. The bank then admitted one of its employees had been secretly trawling through the accounts without a legitimate reason. Ms Gilroy said: 'I asked if the bank could check if my account had been accessed unlawfully, and I was reassured it had not been. 'But when I received more abusive comments from Emma, I requested a formal investigation.' She was then offered £500 compensation from the bank which Ms Gilroy refused.   'I can only imagine she was trying to find dirt on me because I had the audacity to park outside my own house,' the mother-of-two continued. 'I am still in shock, and I feel incredibly violated. It's a horrible feeling. 'It beggars belief that someone can snoop into your bank account like this over and over with no justification whatsoever.' After the police were called, Ms Edwards admitted a criminal offence of harassment but was not prosecuted due to it being a first offence. She was instead handed an adult community resolution (ACR) - meaning she would have to take a behavioural course. Ms Gilroy later blasted the outcome of the police's investigation claiming she felt 'really let down by the police.' She said: 'This isn't justice. She has broken the law and completely violated my privacy, and received a pathetic punishment. 'At least she has lost her job and can't snoop into any other bank accounts, which is a relief.' Ms Gilroy has now been awarded £1,000 compensation from NatWest by the Ombudsman. She said: 'If I hadn't kept pushing and made a formal complaint, I'd never have known my accounts had been accessed. 'There should be much stricter protocol on staff being able to access customers' accounts, what happened to me is living proof of that.' Carmarthenshire Council have also approved a disabled parking bay outside the mother's house for her daughter. The warring neighbours are still living next door to each other which Ms Gilroy described as like 'purgatory'.   She said: 'My eight-year-old daughter is too afraid to go out into our back garden in case she's out there after all the abuse she has put us through. 'We love our home so much, but it's become virtually intolerable living here - we may have no choice but to move house.' A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: 'A 49-year-old woman was arrested on 10 October 2025, on suspicion of harassment. 'The matter was finalised by way of an adult community resolution with a condition for the offender to be referred to the diversionary scheme. 'The ACR was issued following consultation with the victim on the basis that it was the suspect's first offence. 'She has accepted responsibility for her actions and agreed to meet the conditions of her resolution order within the agreed time frame. 'The aim of a community resolution is to reduce reoffending by encouraging the individual to recognise the impact of their offence and commit to changing their behaviour by engaging in a restorative or educational programme.' A NatWest spokesperson said: 'Following concerns raised by our customer, an investigation was carried by our litigation and investigations team and, based on their findings, swift and appropriate action was taken.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.