Accountant helped herself to £220k Fringe benefits
Charity embezzler admits she got ‘greedy’
AN ACCOUNTANT yesterday admitted stealing £220,000 from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s pension fund. Lynn Taylor, 56, pleaded guilty to embezzling the cash between 2008 and 2015 when she appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday. Prosecutor Aidan Higgins said Taylor had started work with the society – a registered charity – as a chartered accountant in 1994. But problems emerged when arrangements were being made for a new company pension scheme in January 2015. Investigations showed that employer contribution payments were being made directly into Taylor’s personal bank account.
Higgins said when the accountant had appeared at a disciplinary hearing, she was unable to explain how it had happened. She was concerned she might have overpaid herself but was unable to give a figure.
The prosecutor told the court that Taylor said: “I tried it once and got away with it and you get a little greedy.”
When interviewed by police, she admitted taking money but did not know how much.
Taylor told officers: “I did it. It has totally destroyed my life and I am never going to work again.”
Sheriff Frank Crowe was told Taylor, who had been living in Portugal, had repaid all the money plus £40,000 for the cost of the investigation.
Defence advocate John Scullion said his client was at a loss to explain her behaviour over the years.
He told the court she had been interested in horses and showjumping and had overspent significantly. He also said she had psychological problems with post-traumatic stress.
The sheriff deferred sentence until next month.
He told Taylor: “You have admitted a very serious breach of trust involving a six-figure sum, used for your own benefit and pleasure.
“Taking money from a charity is something the court takes very seriously.”