Letting agent stole more than £40,000 from employer

A letting agent who stole more than £40,000 from her employer was caught when she used the company bank card during a holiday in Benidorm.

Amber-Louise Milne, from Glasgow, spent years stealing from BS Properties and was only caught when the company's bank queried the Spanish transaction.

When property company owner Brian Stewart checked the finances, he discovered a £25,000 overdraft in the company name.

Milne, 42, pled guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to embezzlement.

After Mr Stewart realised the money was missing, he phoned Milne while she was still in the Costa Blanca where she claimed that it was "only about 15 grand".

Milne joined BS Properties, which manages properties in Tayside and Angus, in 2013.

She had responsibility for making online payments to landlords and contractors via company accounts. As part of her job she had a business bank card.

Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie told the court that near the end of 2019 Mr Stewart received a call from Clydesdale Bank to say the bank cards were being used in Benidorm.

The case was heard by Dundee Sheriff Court

She stated: "Mr Stewart was aware the accused was on holiday there and had access to the bank accounts. He drove to the Forfar Bank of Scotland and was told the company was additionally overdrawn and the balance was minus £25,000."

Milne told him she was going to 'fix it' when she got back from her holiday but police were contacted when she failed to pay back the money.

The court was told that Milne had been embezzling from the company by making small payments to herself and listing them as legitimate purchases, including pretending to be paying for electricity, key cutting and handyman jobs.

She embezzled £14,179 during 2017, £13,000 during 2018, and £16,651 in 2019.

Milne originally faced a charge of embezzling £86,273 from the year she started with the company, but the Crown accepted her guilty plea to the lesser amount of £43,830.

She was granted bail while sentence was deferred for the preparation of social work background reports.