Gran, 55, jailed after embezzling £1.5m to pay for wedding and lavish holidays
Edinburgh High Court where Muirhead was sentenced on Thursday
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A grandmother from Aberdeen has been jailed after she embezzled more than £1.5million from her workplace.
Coleen Muirhead, 55, admitted to stealing from her company between June 2015 and October 2021 whilst working as an administrative assistant.
The money she embezzled was spent on lavish holidays, fancy cars, and her son’s wedding.
Muirhead earlier admitted to embezzling £1,524,192.37 from Panda Rosa Metals and was jailed for 40 months.
Muirhead stole from her employer in Aberdeen
PEXELSShe was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday (September 28).
A fellow employee had taken note of Muirhead’s expensive lifestyle choices, the court heard.
This colleague was directly responsible for paying the 55-year-old’s wages, so was surprised when Muirhead decided to pay the bill for a full table at a charity event.
A senior partner at the firm reviewed her wages and the embezzlement was brought to light.
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Muirhead messaged a colleague after the detection: “Police have just raided. So, I will need a visitor in jail. Please don't think the worst of me.”
Police officers searched her home in October 2021 and found documents related to her lavish spending habits.
The review also uncovered five company accounts which contained her bank details.
During the investigation, files showed “G Anderson” as a significant customer.
However, senior members of the firm did not know the client, and after comparing G Anderson and Muirhead’s bank details, discovered they matched.
A senior partner at the firm reviewed her wages and the embezzlement was brought to light.
PEXELSMessaging the same colleague, she said: “I have done Panda Rosa out of a lot of money. I was G Anderson.”
Prosecutors also told the court that she was responsible for dealing with invoices for allotted clients.
Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “Fraud and embezzlement are not victimless crimes. This was a blatant example of someone targeting a business and then carrying out a significant embezzlement.
“Coleen Muirhead showed no regard for the impact her crimes would have on her employers.
“Financial crime cases can be complex, but the evidence presented by prosecutors made the criminal activity clear and resulted in a conviction.”
This year, another case of embezzlement in Scotland made headlines as Natalie McGarry was found guilty of stealing money from the SNP and the Women for Independence Party.
British taxpayers will be paying the hefty £210,000 legal bill of the former SNP MP after she was convicted of theft.