Renfrewshire woman who stole from wind farm firm to fund millionaire lifestyle jailed

A woman who boasted online about jetting around the world was jailed today for embezzling thousands of pounds from her employers to fund her millionaire lifestyle.

Sharin Mooney visited New York, Mexico, Switzerland, France and Ireland and showered herself with expensive jewellery, champagne and cocktails using the £44,000 she took from wind farm 2020 Renewables.

But when callous Mooney was rumbled she tried to blame her dead dad - saying she needed to pay off debt she inherited.

Remorseless Mooney, who has not paid back a single penny, littered her social media accounts with pictures of her lavish spending and told Twitter followers: “Cocktails solve all the problems.”

But today she was left in a situation a cocktail couldn't solve, as she was locked up for 20 months.

And she was rewarded for her doomed scheme with another free journey - but this time it was a lift to Cornton Vale women's prison, in Stirling, rather than a transatlantic flight.

She carried bought sophisticated document-altering software on the internet which she used to doctor invoices and carry out her scam.

The 38-year-old, who was employed as an accounts assistant with 2020 Renewables, made the biggest payment to herself - £8,000 - just before she jetted off to America.

She stayed at New York’s famous Waldorf Astoria hotel and posted a photo of herself on Facebook with Manhattan’s Times Square in the background.

Mooney also made a purchase from luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co, on top of the flights to Cancun, Dublin, Paris and Geneva.

Sentence was deferred for background reports and today she returned to the dock at Greenock Sheriff Court to be sentenced for fleecing the local firm.

Defence solicitor David Tod asked for leniency, saying Mooney was under stress due to the debt she inherited from her dad.

And he said jailing her would make her mum homeless, as she paid the rent on her mum's flat, and mean the money would never be paid back.

He explained: "If she continues in gainful employment that household will continue, if she goes to prison then that would be finished."

But Sheriff Derek Hamilton ruled there was only one way he could deal with Mooney, of Johnstone, Renfrewshire, and jailed her for 20 months, reduced from two years as she admitted her guilt.

As he did so he blasted her for lying about the debt - and slammed for her actions.

He said: "Your embezzlement amounts to a gross breach of trust.

"You've made no effort to repay any of the amount you embezzled.

"To my mind, the lack of any effort, in this regard, shows a lack of remorse.

"You have said you were suffering financial difficulties and that was the reason for the offence but you have offered no evidence of the debts you faced and no evidence of any repayment towards any debt, other than debts to loan repayment companies - and I don't know what they were for.

"You used the money for a number of leisure activities - restaurants, flights and spending in New York.

"It seems to me that pattern of spending is not consistent with someone burdened by financial difficulties.

"Clearly you used the money for your own personal gain and enjoyment.

"It is necessary to deter others from committing such offences.

"It is a substantial amount of money and the public are entitled to be outraged by yourself and your behaviour.

"In my view there is no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence."

She was originally due to learn her fate last month but could not be sentenced as her social worker went on holiday and could not prepare the crucial background report.

Mooney, who has a penchant for £50-a-bottle Veuve Clicquot champagne, managed to run her scam for nine months before it began to unravel.

An eagle-eyed colleague spotted a 'discrepancy' with a copy of an invoice, leading to an investigation which revealed the firm's accounts were missing thousands of pounds.

Between April and December 2014, a total of £44,000 vanished - in to the same account Mooney's wages had been paid in to since she started at the firm in August 2013.

Mooney admitted her guilt to the firm's managing director and the police were informed, leading to the case against her.

Mooney, a first offender, cried throughout the hearing and sobbed as she was led to a custody van in handcuffs to begin her sentence.

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