Social worker holiday delays sentence for woman who embezzled thousands
A woman who used thousands of pounds she embezzled to fund a millionaire lifestyle couldn't be sentenced - because her social worker went on holiday.
A woman who used thousands of pounds she embezzled from her employers to fund a millionaire lifestyle where she jetted around the world couldn't be sentenced - because her social worker went on holiday.
Sharin Mooney was due to be sentenced at Greenock Sheriff Court for taking £44,000 from windfarm 2020 Renewables.
Mooney, 38, used her ill-gotten gains to fund a luxury trip to New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel and buy from exclusive jeweller Tiffany & Co.
But she could not be sentenced as a crucial background report was not ready - because the social worker due to complete the report went on holiday.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton blasted the social work department for the blunder.
He raged: "It seems strange to me that, when a case calls on July 26 and a report is allocated to someone, who then goes on holiday, the social work department, between July 26 and August 8, can't do it by August 11 for a case calling on August 17.
"I'm going to have to defer sentence further as this report is not available.
"Hopefully it will be available on the next occasion."
He deferred sentence until next month for the Criminal Justice Social Work report to be carried out and told Mooney to return to court then to learn her fate.
Mooney, of Johnstone, Renfrewshire, bought specialist document-altering software online which she used to help her carry out her scam.
She used the software to doctor invoices - resulting in money being paid directly into her personal bank account.
Mooney, who carried out the scam undetected for nine months, even made it look as though the personal assistant to the firm's managing director had authorised the payments.
The largest payment was for more than £8,000 and was paid in to Mooney's account just days before she jetted off to America.
An eagle-eyed colleague spotted a 'discrepancy' with a copy of an invoice and asked Mooney to source the original.
But Mooney fobbed off the colleague by telling her she was "too busy" - and her scheme began to unravel.
A probe in to what happened revealed that more than £16,000 was missing from the Greenock company’s accounts.
In September, October and November 2014 amounts totalling £5,345.28, £6,370.02 and £4,887.60 had vanished - in to the same account Mooney's wages had been paid in to since she started at the firm in August 2013.
It emerged that a total of eight payments were made into Mooney’s account between April 2 and December 23, 2014, - totalling £44,000.
The managing director called a meeting with the firm's lawyer and Mooney and she admitted she had stolen the money, saying she had financial problems.
The police were informed and their investigation revealed she had used the money to fund her New York trip, her stay at the Waldorf Astoria, a purchase from luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co, and numerous airline flights.
Prosecutor Pamela Brady told Greenock Sheriff Court: “There were payments to what appeared to be loan companies but there were also a number of leisure activities, restaurant bills, flight costs and significant spending in New York City.
“A detective sergeant spoke with the PA at 2020 Renewables and advised that software had been purchased from a website that allowed documents to be altered — those documents being the invoices.
“The purchase of the software was linked to the accused. I have no note of any repayment having been made.”
Mooney's solicitor said she had used the money on "luxury items" but had also been using it to pay debts.
She said she had taken on family death following her father's death and sometimes had to make three or four payday loan repayments in one day.
Sheriff Derek Hamilton deferred sentence for background reports and an electronic tagging order assessment and she is now set to learn her fate next month.