The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Thief stole cash from dead grandmother’s fundraiser
A Fife woman has admitted stealing charity funds raised at a special event set up by her late grandmother.
Christina Hadden appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court and admitted taking £746 meant to be given to the diabetes ward at the Victoria Hospital.
Fellow fundraisers grew suspicious of the 32-year-old after she failed to produce a receipt showing the three-figure donation had been deposited.
A financial audit of all donations showed the money had never been handed over and police were contacted.
Hadden, of Beatty Crescent, pleaded guilty to stealing the cash after the event at the Masonic Lodge Hall in Kirkcaldy on October 7 2016.
Fiscal depute Nicola Henderson said: “One of the witnesses asked for an audit of all donations to be carried out which showed that the money had not been deposited.
“The accused was called and asked where the money was and she said she had dropped it off at the ward.
“The witness challenged the accused as there was no funds or record of them at the ward.
“They asked for a receipt which would have been given to the accused if the donations had been provided.
“When a satisfactory answer could not be obtained, the accused said she would attend at the ward to drop off the money.
“Alarmed by the conduct of the accused and the missing money, the witness contacted the police to report the matter.”
Defence solicitor Janice Morrison said: “There were some attempts made to contact the association but she accepts that she kept these funds and did not pay them over.
“She is in a position to pay the money back within a matter of days as she has saved up since the matter was reported.”
Sheriff Grant Mcculloch said: “Unfortunately this is not a first offence so I am going to have to call for reports.
“What I would suggest is that she pays it in the meantime to avoid being sent to jail.”
He deferred sentence to obtain reports and ordered Hadden to reappear on August 22.