Man spent weekend in jail after RBS computer problems

A DEFENDANT who had been granted bail spent the weekend in prison because of the computer problems suffered by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The man was locked up over the weekend as it was unclear whether a bail payment had been made.

RBS suffered a glitch after a software update – disrupting millions of accounts. The issue meant money could not be transferred into or out of accounts.

And the man, who was granted bail on Friday at Canterbury Crown Court, Kent, was not freed until yesterday because of the computer glitch. However, a second case in London saw a man released after the court made allowances for the RBS problem.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service said: “Defendants are released on bail once confirmation of the receipt of bail is received. We are aware of only two cases where there was a banking issue.”

RBS boss Stephen Hester apologised for the difficulties and said the bank’s systems were now working normally.

However, he admitted that it could be several days for the backlog of transfers to be cleared. Mr Hester said: “It shouldn’t have happened and we are very sorry.

“There was a software change which didn’t go right and although that itself was put right quickly, there then was a big backlog of things that had to be reprocessed in sequence, which is why on Thursday and Friday customers experienced difficulty.”

And the banking giant, which owns NatWest and Ulster Bank, has extended opening hours at its 1,200 main branches to resolve issues. However, Ulster Bank said its backlog may not be cleared until Friday.