Red Cross worker jailed for embezzling £350,000 from charity

The court heard that Booth embezzled the money between 1 November 2008 and 31 August 2015 at the British Red Cross’ Paisley office and their London premises in Moorfields, near Moorgate underground station.

She pleaded guilty over the seven-year scam when she appeared in the dock last month.

Booth had access to the charity’s bank accounts and Bacs payment systems, allowing her to send money to herself.

In February 2016, after Booth had retired, Deborah Mcbean, the charity’s head of control and compliance, noticed irregularities in payments from 2015.

Eamonn O’donnell, the charity’s head of transactional operations, became involved and discovered there was “no appropriate paperwork” attached to a number of suspect transactions.

As a full investigation and audit was launched, the British Red Cross had the bank accounts the money had been paid in to frozen – prompting Booth to contact them.

She e-mailed the charity, asking them to lift the freeze on her TSB and Natwest accounts, and said she would “make an agreement regarding any missing money”. The matter was reported to Police Scotland.

Booth was later interviewed at her home in England and admitted her guilt and pleaded guilty when she appeared in court.

Sentencing Booth Sheriff William Ireland said: “There is no alternative to custody, given the gravity of the offence.”

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said the charity was “devastated” by the case and “are relieved that this matter has come to its legal conclusion.”