East Lothian charity worker who embezzled £35,000 due to mounting debts escapes jail term

Carole Ferguson transferred the cash into her own bank account over a four year period while employed as a financial officer with the Citizens Advice organisation in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

Ferguson, 60, claimed she carried out the financial scam due to mounting debts. She pleaded guilty to embezzling £35,000 while working as a financial officer with the Citizens Advice between 2015 and 2019 when she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in April this year.

Sentence has been deferred on two occasions to obtain a social work report and she returned to the dock at the capital court find out her fate on Thursday, June 12.

Defence agent Mary Moultrie had previously told the court her client had sold her home to repay all the stolen cash back to the registered charity in March 2023.

Ferguson, from Prestonpans, East Lothian, was sentenced to a community payback order as an alternative to a custody and will be supervised by her local social work team for 24 months.

Carole Ferguson, 60, pictured outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court. | Alexander Lawrie

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Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss also ordered Ferguson to wear an electronic tag and stay within her home address between 7pm and 7am for the next three months.

Previously, fiscal depute Cheryl Porter told the court Ferguson was responsible for the finances and had full access to the bank account of the charity’s outlet in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

Ms Porter said: “During her employment there the accused began to make payments into an account of her own from the charity’s account. This was covered up with false expenses. Over the liable period that amounted to £35,000.”

The court was told an internal investigation was conducted after financial irregularities were discovered in November 2020. Ferguson was found to have been “making several payments to her own bank account” and was sacked after she admitted to charity bosses she had taken the money due to financial problems.

During a subsequent police interview Ferguson was said to have “spoken freely” to officers about suffering from debts and that her partner was unaware to what she had been doing.

Ferguson pleaded guilty to embezzling £35,000 while working as a financial officer at the Citizens Advice Bureau, Musselburgh, East Lothian, between January 29, 2015 and January 22, 2019.