A Forfar carer stole blank cheques from a woman she was being paid to look after and used them to pay herself more than £3,000.
After initially lying about unexplained blank cheques being used to pay HMRC bills, Sarah Ali broke down and confessed her dishonesty.
She embezzled the money while working as a carer for a woman who lived in the town.
Ali, who paid back the sum in full before police were contacted, was told the conviction is a “disaster” for her.
Cheque scam uncovered
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond told Forfar Sheriff Court Ali, 34, was caught when the woman she was looking after noticed blank stubs in her chequebook from missing cheques.
Ali had access to the chequebook so she could use it to pay wages to both herself and another carer.
When asked about it, Ali told her victim they must have been HMRC payments.
The day after, she was due to attend work but when the woman answered her door, she instead found Ali’s brother outside.
He told her he would pay back the amount missing from her account at £500 per month and asked her not to contact police.
Ms Drummond said: “The accused has thereafter attended the locus, repeatedly apologised and began to cry.”
She admitted to the other carer she had taken the blank cheques and said her brother had been threatening her.
In total, she had written and cashed cheques for £3,080.
Ali and the other carer visited the bank and transferred the full sum to its rightful owner.
She was then dismissed and told not to return.
Her company’s care manager was informed and the matter was reported to police.
‘Moment of madness’
Ali, of Lyninghills in Forfar, admitted the embezzlement, committed on August 23 and September 6 in 2022.
Ali’s solicitor explained her client took the money to repay debts and was pregnant at the time.
He said: “She apologises greatly and states that she feels awful.
“She tells me that this was just a moment of madness and understands that this was a serious breach of trust.
“She accepts responsibility and understands that a custodial sentence is an available option.”
‘Disastrous’ conviction
Sheriff Mungo Bovey ordered Ali to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in a year.
He said: “You, being a person of previous good character, will appreciate the disaster that this conviction is for you.
“It requires to be marked by a significant sentence, reflecting the bad breach of trust that is involved.
“However, I’m persuaded by your solicitor that I need not impose a custodial sentence and that a period of unpaid work is appropriate.
“Having regard to the seriousness of the offence, my starting point in that respect is 300 hours unpaid work, which is as much as I can give you.”
Sheriff Bovey explained he reduced the sentence due to Ali pleading guilty at the outset and paying back the money already.
The sheriff added: “You will understand that that is as an alternative to custody.”
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