A man has admitted embezzling thousands of pounds from the Fife branch of an international book recycling project.
Stephen Hamilton took the cash while working as a procurement co-ordinator for Better World Books, a social enterprise that raises money for local libraries and other literary programmes.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to embezzling £3,775 at the organisation’s UK base in Dunfermline’s Castle Industrial Estate.
According to court papers, the offence ran for 11 months between February and December 2020.
Hamilton, of Kirkcaldy’s Cedar Avenue, will be sentenced next month.
Leading bookseller
Better World Books is a US retailer and literary fundraiser, described on its website as “the world’s leading socially conscious online bookseller”.
It collects and sells books to generate funds for literary causes around the world.
Hamilton, who is understood to have worked as a procurement officer since 2014, did not attend court when his case called on Friday.
He instead pled guilty by letter.
Details of the offence were not narrated during the brief court hearing.
Sheriff Susan Duff adjourned sentence on Hamilton until September 14 and ordered his personal appearance.
Boosted local causes
The firm opened its UK base in Dunfermline in 2008, offering hundreds of thousands of new and used titles.
Within its first two years of opening, the Fife distribution centre helped its UK operations raise more than £100,000 for local libraries and other causes, by re-using and recycling more than 650,000 books.
The firm has book bank collection points at recycling centres across the country.
Last year, the Dunfermline branch awarded cash to local schemes nominated by its employees.
It gave £3,500 each to the Carnegie Birthplace Museum and the Scottish Book Trust, to support its Reading is Caring programme.
A further £3,000 was shared between Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts Community Club, Southwood Primary School in Glenrothes and Fairview School.
Better World Books confirmed that Hamilton is no longer employed by the firm.
