Applause in the court as embezzler was sentenced
A manager of a social care charity has been jailed for embezzling more than £40,000 from residents
Violet Connor, of Glenrothes, has been jailed for 12 months, after she stole money from the bank accounts of Sense Scotland users over a three-year period.
The 67-year-old was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting embezzling money from residents between April 2019 and December 2022.
The court heard that Connor, who was employed as a locality manager at Sense Scotland, was authorised to withdraw precise amounts of cash for 10 service users.
She would then enter the transaction in a manual paper ledger system at the charity. These withdrawals usually took place once or twice a month.
In October 2022, Connor was on compassionate leave following a family bereavement and had been due to retire two months later.
However, a book-keeping discrepancy was noticed while her interim replacement was being shown the process of balancing finance folders for service users overseen by the accused.
Company officials were alerted and an internal enquiry subsequently revealed Connor had made excessive withdrawals totalling £40,060 from the accounts of residents.
A charity spokesman said: “We became aware of financial irregularities in the finances of a small number of individuals supported in two of our services in October 2022.
“We immediately undertook a financial audit of the services and reported our findings to the police and other relevant authorities and regulatory bodies, working closely with these bodies to assist with their inquiries.”
He added: “Following an internal investigation, the staff member responsible for these irregularities was dismissed by Sense Scotland in November 2022.
“Shortly after this, Sense Scotland spoke with families and guardians of the individuals affected and committed to repaying all funds.”
She will now be subject to confiscation action under Proceeds of Crime legislation.
Helen Nisbet, Procurator Fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: “This offence was committed against some of the most vulnerable in our community and was a very serious breach of trust.
“We will always prosecute in such cases where there is evidence to do so.”
