A dodgy letting agent embezzler from Dundee, whose £43,000 theft was discovered when she started spending company cash in Benidorm, has been imprisoned for 15 months.
Amber Milne helped herself to five-figure sums while working for Dundee-based BS Properties.
She was rumbled after spending company cash in Benidorm.
When boss Brian Stewart confronted thieving Milne, she said she “kind of f***** up”.
Milne had emptied the business’ bank account, which ended up being overdrawn by £25,000.
The 42-year-old has been locked up after pleading guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to embezzling funds between October 2017 and June 2019.
The court was told how Milne previously served 42 days detention in 2005, while serving in the Royal Navy, over a fraud charge.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: “In view of the previous conviction, the amount of money and the duration of your crime – which was a prolonged, calculating and sustained crime – only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”
Rumbled in Benidorm
The court heard Milne began working for the South Tay Street firm as a letting agent in 2013.
She was responsible for a variety of duties and had access to the BS Properties bank account, including a bank card.
Prosecutor Joanne Ritchie said previously: “At some time in June 2019, the witness Stewart received a call from his bank, Clydesdale Bank, saying that his business cards were being used abroad in Benidorm.
“He drove to the Forfar Bank of Scotland branch to check on the account and noticed that the account was additionally overdrawn by minus £25,000.
“The witness immediately contacted the accused by phone and confronted her about this.
“She said she ‘kind of f***** up’ and that it was ‘only about 15 grand’.
“The witness said it was a lot more than that.”
Milne said she was “going to fix it when she got back” and would try to obtain loans to repay the money, before ending the call.
Police were eventually contacted and after more than a year of financial investigations and Milne was arrested.
Her bank records were seized and it was discovered payments to her account were hidden under different titles associated with the business.
Various transfers to Milne’s bank account were noted, originally in small amounts.
These grew substantially and it was found Milne took £14,179 in 2017, £13,000 in 2018 and £16,651 the following year.
‘Overwhelmed’ with duties
Milne previously pled guilty to embezzling a total of £43,830 while working for BS Properties Ltd between October 25 2017 and June 26 2019.
Solicitor Anika Jethwa said her client had suffered financial problems and could not cope with her duties.
Ms Jethwa said: “She was working a great deal; evenings, weekends, doing viewings – she was effectively on call for her employer and his extended family.
“She was overwhelmed due to constant phone calls from tenants.
“The business had a number of employees and when they left, Miss Milne was required to take up the extra slack on the same amount of wages.
“She started taking money because she was not able to meet her day-to-day needs.
“She was also drinking to excess during this period.”
Milne had planned to work for free for a period to pay back Mr Stewart but eventually left the business.
Ms Jethwa said Milne has moved to Glasgow because of “difficulties” in Dundee relating to her crime.
She had most recently been working in a shop in Glasgow with the hope of increasing her hours.
Ms Jethwa urged Sheriff Carmichael to follow recommendations in a social work report to impose a community payback order and restriction of liberty order.
For more local court content visit our dedicated page or join us on Facebook.
