A woman who became “addicted” to stealing and embezzled more than £26,000 from her boss has been spared jail.
Trusted employee Jennifer Brown admitted taking the cash from Baird’s Pharmacy in Keith over an 18-month period.
But at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday Sheriff John Halley decided not to send the “thoroughly ashamed” mum a prison sentence – because she had managed to return the money to the firm.
The 50-year-old was instead ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service over the next six months.
Brown, of 51 Land Street in Keith, began working at the family-run pharmacy as a teenager in the 1980.
But after getting into financial difficulties she began to abuse her position as a senior member of staff by raiding the store’s till on a regular basis.
Brown said stealing became “like an addiction” as the sum she embezzled spiralled into thousands.
She was caught out in 2012 and immediately admitted taking £26,548 from the shop.
She embezzled the money between January 2011 and July 2012. Sentence had been deferred for more than a year to allow her to recompense her former employer.
Yesterday Brown’s agent, solicitor Iain Maltman, said that the sum had now been returned in full to Baird’s Pharmacy.
Fiscal Alison Wylie told the court: “Throughout this case sentence has been deferred for good behaviour, and to allow the balance to be repaid.”
She added: “The accused was responsible for cashing up and banking at the pharmacy, but a number of discrepancies came to light in 2012.
“Police were then contacted and accountants counted out precisely how much money had been embezzled.
“When Brown was interviewed by the police she made a full admission in relation to the charge.
“She had financial troubles, and family issues, and said taking the money had become ‘like an addiction’.”
Mr Maltman stressed that his client, who now works for a local sandwich company, had never been in trouble before.
He also said Brown found it difficult to discuss her financial problems with her then-partner, and developed “huge problems with credit card debt”.
He added: “She found a criminal way to solve that difficulty, and she is thoroughly ashamed of the way she acted during those 18 months.”
Sheriff John Halley said: “This is a very serious matter indeed, and normally the court would deal with incidents such as this by sending someone to prison.
“But in the circumstances I can see that would not be the appropriate route.”
Last night, her former employer Robert Baird said he had no issues with Sheriff Halley’s decision to spare Brown prison and hoped the sentence would bring the firm some closure.
Mr Baird, who also owns shops in Fraserburgh and Aberdeen, said: “The theft caused major issues within our business.
“Every member of staff felt under suspicion until our investigation pointed towards Jennifer Brown as the culprit.
“She was at one time a trusted, long-serving, senior member of our staff – but our relationship with her stopped existing when we found out she was a thief.
“For us this sentence brings closure to this unfortunate episode.”