Cumbernauld woman jailed after stealing thousands from her employer

A Cumbernauld woman's been jailed for more than a year after admitting to stealing thousands from her employers.

Eleanor Herd was a payroll supervisor at Peel Ports between 2008 and 2010, and used her elderly father and daughter's bank accounts to stash away £35,000 of company money.

The 57 year-old was caught when HMRC opened an investigation and was sentenced to 15 months behind bars at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Peel Ports is one of the UK’s largest port operators with facilities in Liverpool, Clydeport, Dublin and Great Yarmouth.

The company handles more than 12million tonnes of cargo per year.

The court was told Herd was payroll manager until March 2010 before resigning.

Procurator fiscal depute Pal Callander said: “By late 2011 it appeared that a few former employees of Peel Ports were being contacted by HMRC regarding tax which had not been paid on earnings.

“As a result of a lengthy investigation and detailed audit as carried out by the Internal Group Audit, its findings led Peel Ports to believe that the accused had misappropriated £35,654 from her previous employer.”

It was discovered that there was 45 instances where money had been diverted in to five bank accounts which belonged to close relatives of the accused.

Herd stashed £17,915 between her two daughter’s accounts, £351 in her son-in-law’s and £1000 in her husband’s bank.

There was 19 credits made to her elderly father’s account who was said to be “genuinely shocked” by number of transactions made in to his bank

The matter was then reported to the police.