Embezzler gets 31 months in jail

An accounts executive who embezzled more than £200,000 from her employers was “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, her solicitor has told a court.

Donna Robertson, 34, was jailed for 31 months yesterday after earlier admitting pocketing £221,043 while she worked for Streamline Group.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court previously heard that Robertson, of Mallace Avenue, Bathgate, did not tell Streamline bosses at her job interview that she was already facing jail for stealing tens of thousands of pounds from her old employers.

The court heard how Robertson used the money to pay back a sum that she pocketed from her previous bosses. It also heard how Robertson was only caught when her husband phoned into her bosses and gave them an “odd excuse” about why his wife had not turned up for work one day.

Defence solicitor Neil Stewart said: “She got into a spiral of difficulties. She knew she would eventually be caught, but she thought there was no other way out of the mess she had got into.

“She allowed things to get out of control and was robbing Peter to pay Paul.”