Hospital’s charity café manager embezzled hundreds of pounds

CRIME: Sheriff says Fife woman committed ‘substantial breach of trust’

Hundreds of pounds were embezzled from a charity by the manager of a volunteer-staffed hospital café.

Stacey Smith falsified expenses claims to the WRVS, now known as the Royal Voluntary Service, while in charge of its operation at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

She was convicted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court of embezzling money between September 2015 and April 2017 and was warned she could have been jailed.

Instead, Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist placed the 34-year-old on a restriction of liberty order for five months, confining her to her home in High Street, Kirkcaldy, between 7pm and 7am.

He cast doubt on her claims she did not benefit financially from her scheme and said she had told “absolute nonsense” to social workers preparing a background report on her. Sheriff Gilchrist said Smith was “fundamentally dishonest”, making it “very hard to accept her assertions about anything”.

He told her: “This offence represents a substantial breach of trust because you committed it whilst employed as a manager of the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service in Victoria Hospital.

“You used your position to falsify expense claims and you embezzled money. Although the sum was not fully established it was certainly in four figures.”

Smith had worked at the café for several years before being put in charge, and fellow colleagues and volunteers were understood to be shocked to learn of her deception.

Solicitor Mary Walker said her client was confused and overwhelmed by the circumstances she found herself in.

She said: “It’s not as if, as is sometimes seen in these cases, monies were obtained and a lavish lifestyle obtained.”

Sheriff Gilchrist said Smith admitted to investigators that she knew from the outset what she was doing was wrong.

He told Smith: “I’m suspect about your position you made no financial benefit. I will deal with you on the basis you did not. There was no evidence to contradict that, but it seems very unlikely.”

Mark Olliver, retail director for Royal Voluntary Service, said: “We respect the decision of the court to find former employee Stacey Smith guilty of embezzlement.

“Stacey worked at our café in the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, until April 18 2017 when financial irregularities first came to light. These were investigated by our internal auditors who passed their findings to the police.”

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Although the sum was not fully established it was certainly in four figures. SHERIFF JAMIE GILCHRIST