Ex-wife of clan trust CEO to face trial

The ex-wife of the CEO of a Stirling-based Scottish clan trust with links to actor Russell Crowe and the TV series Outlander is to face trial in September charged with embezzling more than £47,000 while working for the organisation.

Malin Heen-allan is said to have embezzled a total of £47,526.94 while an employee of The Clanranald Trust for Scotland, a registered charity based at Kilmahog, near Callander.

The Trust, established in 1996, runs a tourist attraction, the Duncarron medieval village, in the Carron Valley, near Denny, a reconstruction of a typical residence of an ancient Scottish Clan Chief.

Heen-allan, 47, former wife of the Trust’s chief executive, the Scottish actor and musician Charlie Allan, is said to have committed the embezzlement at the Trust’s registered office at “Greenshadows”, Kilmahog; at her home, Milton Farmhouse West, Callander; and elsewhere; between January 4, 2016 and August 23, 2018.

At Stirling Sheriff Court on Tuesday defence solicitor Simon Hutchison said Heen-allan, whose attendance had been excused, maintained her plea of not guilty to the single charge.

He said Heen-allan strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

He said the Trust, as well as running the tourist attraction, provided extras for films and productions such as hit series Outlander.

He said items such as food and clothing had to be purchased for these extras.

He told presiding sheriff Keith O’mahony:“my client’s position is that these were ordered to her account, using her email address, but I think defence witnesses will tell us that this was the way the Trust was run.

“The computer would be on and somebody would walk into the office and press a button and order some clothing or something for their extras, order lunch or something like that, and it would all go through my client’s account but it wasn’t necessarily her that would have ordered it.”

The court heard the trial was likely to three weeks.

Sheriff O’mahony set trial for September 13 at Falkirk Sheriff Court, following a pre-trial hearing on June 20.

Among the exhibits at the Duncarron medieval village is a battering ram from the 2010 film Robin Hood, which Crowe starred in, and which the Oscar-winning actor donated.