A BANK worker has pleaded guilty to his part in the theft of £323,235 from the Co-operative Bank.

Cashier Paul Sherwood (25), from Simister Green, Simister, in Prestwich, appeared before Manchester City Magistrates on Wednesday where he admitted secretly diverting funds from the accounts of three former Manchester City footballers over a period of 15 months.

Three other men Paul Hanley (20) and Lewis Chadwick (25), both from Whitworth Street, Manchester, and Zac Smith (21), from Glossop also admitted their part in the theft.

The offences came to light in February when the Co-operative Bank in Manchester conducted an internal audit and identified financial irregularities on four different accounts.

An internal investigation was launched by the bank, and the thefts were linked to two former employees, Sherwood and Hanley. Chadwick and Smith were also involved in the theft of money from the four bank accounts held by ex-City stars, including Vicente Vuose, Djamel Belmadi and Daniel Van Buyten.

The affected accounts were reimbursed to prevent any loss to the players and the case was subsequently passed to Greater Manchester Police for further investigation.

The four men will be sentenced on January 27.