Sentence is deferred but she and one other is facing jail term

A former local councillor has been convicted of stealing £8,000 from a charity.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how Yvonne Kucuk, company secretary for the People's Development Trust in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, breached her position of trust driven by greed.

Kucuk and the trust's project manager William Faulds were questioned by police after a routine audit found discrepancies.

Kucuk and Faulds could now face a jail term after they were convicted of embezzling £8,120 from the trust, which went into administration this year.

The trust ran the £3.5m Commonweath Games legacy hub in the area which housed a range of community services in the area of high deprivation.

Sheriff Mary McCrory said: “It is unthinkable for someone with financial responsibility for the trust to act this way.

“There is a serious breach of trust at the heart of this embezzlement and I reject your evidence.”

Kucuk played a key role in the project.

However, issues later emerged leading to a financial probe.

A number of cheque stubs made out to "cash" were discovered - but there were no corresponding receipts or paperwork.

Faulds denied embezzling the cash between January 2015 and 2016 and told the trial: “We paid a number of people in cash. It was to keep the money locally in the community. It is normal practice.”

Payments to a shadowy person called “Big Johnny” are meant to have been for helping people learn English and completing applications but the individual had no trace.

Sentencing on Kucuk and Faulds was deferred for reports.