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Royal Bank of Scotland employee Raoul Tagne worked at the company's Direct Line insurance office on the Headrow, Leeds Crown Court heard.

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Tagne, of Kendal Drive, Halton Moor, also worked as a claims handler at breakdown rescue business Green Flag in Pudsey.

Prosecutor Michael Smith said Tagne was responsible for handling claims from motorists who broke down while driving abroad.

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Tagne had authority to instruct garages to do work on behalf of policy holders and invoice Green Flag.

Father-of-three Tagne created accounts for false service providers and submitted fake invoices.

The court heard 13 payments were made to false accounts between March 2005 and November 2006.

The total value of cash stolen from Royal Bank of Scotland was 55,000 Euros or just over £38,000.

Tagne, who admitted conspiracy to defraud, sent most of the cash to his father in Cameroon to pay him back after he had re-mortgaged his house to pay for Tagne's education.

Tagne fled the country and went to France and the US for seven months while the police investigation was being carried out.

Tagne returned to the UK voluntarily and was arrested in July 2007
Richard Reed, for Tagne ,said his client's marriage broke up when he told his wife what he had done.

Mr Reed added: "He hasn't had the heart to tell his father what he has done."

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Peter Collier QC, jailed Tagne for 12
months.