A German bank employee who secretly transferred money from rich to poor clients has been given a 22-month suspended prison term.

The 62-year-old woman, dubbed the ‘Robin Hood Banker’, moved more than $11m (£7m) in 117 transfers.

The court in Bonn was told that the employee, who has not been named, took no money for herself.

The bank made a loss of more than $1.5m (£1m) when poor customers were unable to pay back unauthorised overdrafts.

The employee was accused of allowing overdrafts for customers who would not normally qualify for them.

Small pension

She then used the money from richer customers to temporarily disguise the loans during the bank’s monthly audit of overdrafts.

The woman has begun reimbursing the bank for the losses, reportedly from a small retirement pension.

She could have faced a four-year prison sentence, but the court decided on leniency as she had confessed immediately and did not profit personally.

The woman was also considered to have suffered enough, through the loss of her job and the requirement that she pay back the lost funds.