A Londoner who defrauded more than $450,000 from the Bank of Bermuda in an elaborate international cheque-cashing scheme was yesterday sentenced to one year in prison.

Chukwudi Onwusah, 34, pleaded guilty to fraud and pleaded not guilty to stealing in Supreme Court.

Crown counsel Charlene Scott said Onwusah travelled to Bermuda in December, 1996 and obtained $453,809.70 through stolen cheques processed by the Bank of Bermuda.

He was involved in a scheme where Canadian cheques were deposited into an account at the Bank for a few days until someone wrote a personal cheque or obtained a draft.

The money was then deposited into an investment account in Onwusah's name at Bermuda Investment Advisory Services (BIAS) Ltd.

On January 31, 1997, the Bank was informed by the Royal Bank of Canada -- their clearing agents -- of irregularities with the cheques.

Onwusah was arrested in London and later extradited to Bermuda where he has been remanded in custody since March 24, 1998.

And he told Police that he was acting as a "middle man'' between Canada and Bermuda.

Ms Scott said "careful thought and some planning'' had been given to the scheme, noting "there was some sophistication behind this''.

Ms Scott suggested Onwusah be sentenced to no more than a year's imprisonment, taking into account his guilty plea, cooperation with Police and time spent in custody.

But Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux stated: "That is a very serious offence against one of our financial institutions.

"You may be treating the matter too leniently...This is a breach or our walls,'' he added.

Lawyer Richard Hector, representing Onwusah, told the court that his client was a "pawn'' who had been used by the other members of the scheme, citing the involvement of Bermudian Rex Darrell and BIAS.

Mr. Hector said the groundwork for the fraud had already been laid by other members of the conspiracy before Onwusah became involved.

He said Onwusah came into the equation because Darrell, as a Bermudian, could not send out more than $25,000 cash at one time.

And Mr. Hector said if the law were changed where Bermudians could send out any amount, Onwusah would never have been needed.

He noted Onwusah became involved in the scheme while he was unemployed, and said much of the money had been recovered.

He said Onwusah had provided Police with the names of the other individuals involved in the fraud.

Onwusah apologised to the court, stating: "I didn't realise the depth of what I was getting involved in.'' Mr. Justice Meerabux said a custodial sentence was necessary considering the gravity of the offence.

He sentenced Onwusah to one year in prison with the time already spent in custody taken into consideration.