A man from Brent has appeared in court over an attempt to take control of computers at a Santander bank branch to steal millions of pounds.

Dean Outram, 34, the NW10 area, and three other men are accused of trying to use a gadget to take control of all the computers at the branch in Surrey Quays shopping centre in south-east London.

It is alleged one of the men posed as an engineer in an attempt to fit a computer in a London branch of Santander with a “keyboard video mouse” device that allowed them to transmit its desktop contents.

The attempt failed and the Spanish bank said they were unable to steal any money.

Outram. Lanre Mullins-Abudu, 25, from Putney, south-west London, Akash Vaghela, 27, from Hounslow, west London, and Asad Ali Qureshi, 35, from south-west London, spoke only to confirm their names and details when they appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to steal.

Mullins-Abudu, Outram and Quereshi were remanded in custody by District Judge Howard Riddle while Vaghela was granted condition bail.

All four will appear at Southwark Crown Court on September 27.

Eight other people have been bailed to a date in mid-November pending further inquiries.