A disgraced council worker brazenly boasted of his lavish lifestyle in a string of sun-soaked social media posts as he drained more than £1 million from the public purse.
Despite only earning £35,000 per year, shameless Mike Paterson regularly showed off his expensive habits to friends and family.
These posts came to a sudden halt in the summer of 2023 – just before he was caught red handed and brought to justice.
Today, he was sentenced to prison after admitting to a 17-year crime spree at the High Court in Edinburgh.
And a far cry from the five star accommodation he had become accustomed to during years of jet-setting extravagance, the 59-year-old will spend tonight in a cell.
Inside Mike Paterson’s spending spree…
The court heard that Paterson started embezzling cash in 2006 to pay off debts of £20,000.
But, used to an excessive lifestyle, the former Torry Academy pupil continued to overspend – and continued to funnel cash from the hard-pressed council.
Just before the jig was up, he had a trip to London to see Frozen at the historic Drury Lane theatre in the city’s swanky west end.
Another snap shows him sipping cocktails at the rooftop terrace of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.
Days earlier, he had been to the Harry Potter studio tour experience in the English capital – cheerily glugging down a glass of Butter Beer in photos made public on Facebook.
Earlier in 2023, he had posted about a “wonderful” dinner at an Edinburgh seafood restuarant.
Trips to the city seemed a regular occurrence, with another Edinburgh jaunt for a shopping trip in late 2022.
Mike Paterson shares snaps of luxury Greek trip
That summer, he gloated about scoffing the “best ice cream ever” on a holiday to Rhodes in Greece.
Days before that, he’d bragged of a boat trip as he toured the Mediterranean country.
On this trip, he also stayed at the “finest of five star hotels in Rhodes”, Elite Suites.
Its website describes it as: “Perched on the coastline of the Bay of Ixia, overlooking the jewel-blue sea, the luxury five star Elite Suites Hotel in Rhodes offers total relaxation with impeccable service.”
The “elegant oasis” offers guests, such as the shamed council worker, the chance to “reconnect with your inner peace and unwind in perfect harmony”.
Expensive hotels became the norm for embezzler
This excursion followed a trip to Dubai earlier in 2022, and a stay at Edinburgh’s picturesque Balmoral Hotel before that.
The pandemic appeared to put a stop to Paterson’s big-spending ways, as he announced it had scuppered a two-week trip to Cyprus.
Holiday snaps were duly replaced on his Facebook timeline with more humble posts wishing for an end to the virus, showing off a home-made haircut and praising Marks and Spencer shortbread.
What concerts did Mike Paterson attend during spending craze?
The cash-grabbing thief enjoyed dining out closer to home too, with images of meals in Amarone, Grape and Grain and Cafe Boheme among others over the years.
Paterson also shared memories of Will Young, Years and Years, Beyonce, Shawn Mendes and Michael Buble concerts, a trip to a champagne bar in Barcelona and holidays to Manchester, Spain and New York.
In May 2018, Paterson raised a glass to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from the Algarve.
The criminal marked his birthday in 2014 with champagne for breakfast in a Parisian hotel.
His post suggests he stayed at the Castille Paris, a five-star venue near The Louvre.
Council workers are now scrambling to refund those affected by Paterson’s lengthy crime spree.
Crooked Aberdeen council worker jailed after swindling more than £1 million
Conversation