Scot Ian Clark paid in bogus cheques to NatWest accounts then, before the bank had time to return them, sent millions overseas in a weekend.

Scot Ian Clark, 38, was part of a gang who were given sentences totalling more than 20 years.They had exploited a flaw in the banking system to set up the massive bogus cheque fraud, a court was told.A letter from the NatWest alerted the fraudsters to a loophole which meant funds showed up on computers even though the money was not actually in the account.They paid in bogus cheques to NatWest accounts then, before the bank had time to return them, sent millions overseas in a weekend.Southwark Crown Court heard they moved the cash to accounts in Latvia but the cash was intercepted before it could reach its ultimate destination in Dubai.Lee Quincey, 41, from Manchester, who admitted conspiracy to steal, was jailed for five years and 11 months.Clark, from Paisley, and company directors Darren Lee, 35, and Martin Williams, 29, both from Liverpool, had denied the charge but were convicted.Lee and Williams were both sentenced to five years and nine months.The court was told Clark had the "limited but crucial" role of paying in cheques.Police have managed to recover more than 95 per cent of the money.Judge Anthony Pitts said: "The fraudsters identified a potential weakness in the way that Natwest allowed business customers to pay out money to their suppliers using the computer system."Natwest rather helpfully told all their business clients using the system that after two days all credited funds would show on the computer as being available.