Invoice scam cost care home firm staff their jobs
BY GRANT McCABE A GRAN who stole more than £100,000 from a care home company to fund her online roulette addiction was jailed for 20 months yesterday.
Sarah McGartland would put on about 60 bets a day from home.
The 51-year-old abused her position as an accounts clerk with Harveys Healthcare to transfer cash into her accounts.
McGartland’s scam came to an end when she was caught by her boss, Bijay Kumar, during an audit.
She was jailed at Glasgow Sheriff Court having pled guilty to embezzling £102,389 between January and November 2015. It emerged she had previously been jailed for forgery.
Sheriff Andrew Cubie said McGartland appeared to be in the “grip” of an addiction, adding that the crime was “on a very significant scale”. He went on: “It was a freefor-all until it was uncovered.”
McGartland’s duties at the company, who had an office in Ibrox, Glasgow, included filling out invoices for payments.
She altered some to ensure payments were made into four of her accounts.
The firm looked after about 40 elderly residents, mainly on behalf of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Prosecutor Pat Callendar said the theft forced the firm to reduce the number of residents and led to “four or five staff losing their jobs”.
Alan Gravelle, defending, said McGartland, of Ibrox, put on more than 60 online roulette bets of £100£200 on a single day.
McGartland faces a further hearing later this year under Proceeds of Crime laws.