Woman who stole from charity and family business ordered to pay back £36,000
Beverley Bennie was jailed in January after admitting to embezzling £96,000 from Kids Come First and Myrtle Coffee in Kirkcaldy.
The 37-year-old was sentenced to 20 months in prison with the court now making a confiscation order of £36,000.
Bennie was employed as a business manager with Myrtle Coffee, which supplies wholesale coffee and vending services.
The job gave her access to the company's system, and she was responsible for the petty cash as well as an electronic cash account.
The court was told that a fixed float of £20,000 was always held in the company safe and was also the responsibility of Bennie.
A financial review in August 2023 found the safe only contained £7,610. An audit then revealed Bennie had carried out numerous fraudulent transactions between September 2017 and September 2023.
Company officials discovered she had inflated the values of genuine receipts, reversed some transactions, fabricated receipts, created false accounts and employed other methods to reduce and manipulate the petty cash balance.
The total amount stolen by Bennie was calculated to be £83,599.93.
The court was also told that in 2018, Bennie took on the role of treasurer with Kids Come First, a charity based at the Benarty Centre in Ballingry, Fife.
In 2021, it was revealed the charity had limited cash reserves and some staff members could not be paid.
Fife Council then instructed a forensic accountant to examine the accounts, and the results showed a number of unauthorised cash transfers totalling £12,771.69 made by accused between December 2020 and September 2021.
Bennie has been given six months to pay the confiscation order which can be revisited if further assets are identified in the future. This will be paid towards the full amount she was found to have benefitted from the crimes.
Sineidin Corrins, deputy procurator fiscal for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'Beverley Bennie was convicted of crimes that displayed a betrayal of trust by someone who had financial oversight of funds from a children's charity and a family business.
'She showed no regard for the impact her crimes would have on vulnerable children or the effect it would have on those trying to run an honest business.
'We take such criminality very seriously. This confiscation order shows that the Crown will not stop at prosecution.
'Even after that conviction was secured, the Crown pursued Proceeds of Crime action to ensure funds she obtained illegally were confiscated.
'Confiscation orders have ongoing financial consequences, meaning we can seek to recover further assets from this individual in the future to reflect the full amount.
'These funds will be added to those already gathered from Proceeds of Crime and will be re-invested in Scottish communities through the CashBack for Communities programme.'
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Dons yobs who challenged Rangers fans to fight outside pub handed year-long ban
Six Aberdeen football supporters have been banned from attending all Scottish football games for a year after they marched on a pub where Rangers fans were drinking and challenged them to fight. Dons supporters Dylan Duncan, 23, Brandon Emslie, 23, Neale Ross, 36, Callum Seymour, 25, Brad Rogers, 22, and Ryan Combe, 21, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where they admitted conducting themselves in a disorderly manner on April 23 last year. It was stated that prior to Aberdeen FC hosting Rangers at Pittodrie Stadium, the group had been in The Scotia Bar. From there, a growing number of young men confronted Rangers supporters as they exited the Saltoun Arms, where they goaded them and challenged them to fight. While some fights did break out, none of the six were seen to be involved in any physical violence. Sheriff Ian Wallace told each of the men that their actions had put the safety of other supporters – including families – at 'risk' and stated that it was his responsibility to protect the public. He handed each of the men a ban from all professional football games for a year – and put an additional measure in place, meaning the six cannot enter certain city streets on matchdays. Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that the SPFL fixture was designated an 'increased risk' and a significant amount of police resources were dedicated to ensuring order. The Saltoun Arms, on Park Street, Aberdeen, is known to host travelling supporters on matchdays. At around 2.30pm – two hours before kick-off – all six accused were within the Scotia Bar drinking and socialising with a large group of Dons supporters. As they exited the bar, many of their faces were covered – albeit not the accused – and most wore black outfits. The group moved off as a collective, with some shouting 'keep together', 'keep close' and 'keep on the same side of the pavement'. The police had concerns about the group's direction of travel and made attempts to block their movement. They managed to successfully block the Aberdeen supporters from entering Park Street, but the group turned and ran as a collective through a nearby lane onto Park Place and made it to Park Street. Numerous police resources were deployed to the area to meet the supporters as they arrived outside the Saltoun Arms. By this time, there were more Aberdeen supporters than just the group who left the Scotia Bar together. As they arrived, a large number of Rangers supporters exited the Saltoun Arms. The two groups of supporters goaded each other, and challenges to fight were made. The police eventually managed to separate the groups. A short time later, a group of Aberdeen supporters – including the six accused – ran as a collective along Constitution Street and Rangers supporters ran as a collective along Wales Street. As they came together on South Constitution Street, some Aberdeen and Rangers supporters engaged in a physical fight. None of the accused was seen engaging in physical violence. More than 30 police officers were deployed to the area due to the disorder. Shortly after, the six accused were seen on CCTV returning to the Scotia Bar with other members of the group who had left at the same time. In the dock, Duncan, Emslie, Ross, Seymour, Rogers and Combe pleaded guilty to one charge of causing a breach of the peace. Defence solicitor Michael Horsman told the court that Duncan 'admitted becoming involved in the behaviour' and had been involved in challenging Rangers fans to a fight but was 'not involved in any violence'. Jenny Logan, lawyer for Emslie, stated that her then-21-year-old client's actions that day were down to 'immaturity'. 'He accepts his involvement and takes responsibility for what happened,' she added. George Mathers, Ross's defence solicitor, said his client was not seen to challenge anyone to a fight but was part of the group who marched to the Saltoun Arms. 'He was present at various places where there was trouble,' Mr Mathers conceded, adding: 'But he doesn't challenge anyone.' Defence solicitor for Seymour, Liam McAllister, claimed that any football banning order imposed by the court would have a 'disproportionate impact' on his client, stating that, as part of his bail conditions, he has not been able to attend any football games for more than 600 days. 'This incident has caused Mr Seymour great embarrassment and shame,' he added. Iain Jane, defence solicitor for Rogers, said his client was able to be 'tracked on CCTV as part of this mob' and said that when the group began to disperse, he 'disassociated himself' and went back to the Scotia Bar. 'At no point is he seen to shout or gesticulate,' Mr Jane said. Combe's solicitor, Kevin Longino, told the court that his client had been drinking that day and had shown a 'level of immaturity' at the time of the incident. He said Combe had since stopped drinking alcohol and had 'settled down since then'. However, it was subsequently revealed that Combe had previously been made subject to two football banning orders. Sentencing the group, Sheriff Ian Wallace told them they had left the Scotia Bar that day 'fully intending' to meet up with Rangers supporters and 'challenge them to a fight'. 'The intentions of the group were obvious, and the high risk was clear,' he said. 'You did not just put yourself at risk, you put other supporters, including young families going to the match, at risk. 'The court has a responsibility to protect the public.' As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Wallace made all six men subject to a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and ordered them to each carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. He also put a football banning order in place, meaning all six accused cannot attend any Scottish football match for the next 12 months.
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Fake baby fraudster told to prepare for jail as judge exposes his 'pack of lies'
A fake-baby scammer who abused multiple Aberdeen women faces jail in England – as a judge was left shocked by his duplicity. We reported in September how prolific conman Scott Fraser narrowly avoided a prison sentence after admitting to abducting his then-partner, Debbie McFarlane, in Aberdeen. Fraser flew into a drunken rage and threatened Ms McFarlane with a knife. He then held her prisoner in a bedroom for five hours – and scammed her out of £50,000. Fraser has a baby tattoo on his arm and claims his first wife killed the child in a car crash – but that baby never existed. In the run-up to the sentencing hearing, Fraser told probation workers he had changed. But we can now reveal he had viciously assaulted another woman just days earlier in England. During that shocking attack, 6ft 5in Fraser grabbed the woman on the collar, lifted her off the floor and said: 'You're coming to Aberdeen with me, or I'll kill your f***ing family. 'I won't do it. I'll get someone else to do it. I've got people on speed dial.' The 57-year-old conman was due to be sentenced today at Chester Crown Court for those actions. But judge Steven Everett was so taken aback by Fraser's lies, he asked for more reports into Fraser's mind. Judge Everett said: 'I'm just a bit concerned. 'There were things that troubled me about his behaviour. 'The previous controlling and coercive behaviour towards [Ms McFarlane in Aberdeen] took place some time before [these matters]. 'But he committed this offence [in England] two days before [the Aberdeen sentence hearing]. 'He committed this offence eight days after he was seen by a probation officer for the pre-sentence report for the Scottish case. It was all in one go. 'There he was saying to the probation order 'well, I'm in a new relationship, I'm abstaining from alcohol, court has been a wake-up call' – but, at the same time, he was exhibiting what appears to be the same sort of controlling behaviour in England. 'Then he strangled the woman and assaulted her on September 25 (after drinking alcohol). 'It really looks to me as though what he was telling the probation officer at that time was a pack of lies.' Judge Everett called for a full pre-sentence report. Fraser's historical pattern of offending involves abusing his partner, scamming her out of money, then moving on to a new partner – often while cheating. On two previous occasions, he asked new partners to drive him to court – while not telling them he was there because he'd assaulted previous partners. Fraser left Aberdeen in mid-2024 and moved in with his new partner – who we cannot name for legal reasons – in Cheshire, north-west England. In September 2024, Fraser asked the woman to drive him to a court hearing in Aberdeen, but he did not reveal it was for violence against Ms McFarlane. A few days before that court hearing, Fraser got angry with the woman at a restaurant because she signed a birthday card for a friend. Fraser told the woman of his annoyance: 'You've done it again. F*** off.' The woman returned home, but Fraser followed her and became angry because she would not drive him to Aberdeen for the court hearing. He told her: 'I'm going to drag you there kicking and screaming.' Fraser then assaulted the woman, grabbed her phone and said: 'You're not going anywhere' before pinning her by her throat to a wall. After that ordeal, the woman agreed to drive Fraser to Aberdeen and he was given a three-year community payback order in relation to his actions against Ms McFarlane. It was only after reading about Fraser's decade of offending in the Press and Journal that his partner from Cheshire ceased all contact with him. But Fraser was back offending within a week of being sentenced at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last September. Despite not having a driving licence or insurance, he drove the woman's car to a meeting with probation officers. For that, he was fined £700, banned from driving for a year and given six penalty points in a separate hearing at Warrington Magistrates Court in February. He then admitted to assault and intentional strangulation, leading to today's hearing in Chester. However, Fraser's growing rap sheet appears to have not put off his new partner. At today's hearing, defence solicitor Paul Wood said: 'Fraser is in a new relationship – his partner is here today.' Judge Everett interjected, saying: 'That also – frankly – gives me cause for concern. Real cause for concern, I'm afraid. 'The report makes the point – how Fraser moves on from one relationship to another very swiftly.' Fraser had previously been bailed. Judge Everett assessed whether Fraser should be remanded behind bars in case he posed a threat of violence to his new partner. 'I think I need to know more about what is happening with this new relationship,' said Judge Everett. Mr Wood said: 'Your honour – the concerns you have, I had. I've spoken to the new partner [alone] whose letter is before you. 'She said he had stopped drinking, there hadn't been any sort of violence and she wouldn't stand for any. 'She has created the impression that she is the kind of lady who would not stand any messing around.' Fraser, now of Nantwich, Cheshire, was allowed conditional bail. Addressing Fraser, Judge Everett said: 'If there's even an inkling [of bad behaviour] – if there's a [police] call out, I will have you brought back to this court and you will be remanded in custody. However, you may go to jail anyway.' The judge added: 'Your behaviour leads to an inevitable sentence of imprisonment. 'The real issue is firstly whether it's under two years and whether it's suspended. 'I am very concerned about your behaviour. You are regarded as having a high risk of serious harm.' At that point in the proceedings, Fraser's partner began shaking her head in court. Judge Everett said: 'It's no good shaking your head – the reality is, his previous behaviour and his behaviour in this case say otherwise. 'It's a matter for you what you do. You can't say you haven't been warned. That's what it comes down to.' The next hearing will be in September.
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Watch: President Donald Trump raises fist as he arrives at Balmedie for crunch talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Donald Trump has touched down in Aberdeenshire – with his children and grandchildren – ahead of crunch talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney. The 79-year-old politician raised a fist aloft to gathered media representatives as he stepped off a military helicopter at his Balmedie estate. The US president has been on a four-day trip in Scotland, beginning with a stay at his Turnberry resort where he enjoyed some golf on Saturday. Combining pleasure with business, he met the President of European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen while there and agreed a new trade deal. He is now expected to have 'private engagement' with the prime minister before meeting First Minister John Swinney as well. A highlight of his trip, however, is the opening of the second Trump International Golf Links course, which son Eric previously said would be 'one of the best in the world'. The two leaders arrived at RAF Lossiemouth at around 6pm on Monday, following a busy day at Turnberry. During a press briefing there, President Trump backed North Sea oil and gas following desperate pleas from north-east business leaders for the billionaire's backing. The pair landed at the Moray airbase in Air Force One, and from there boarded the Marine One helicopter to the Menie Estate. The copter touched down on a helipad just yards from MacLeod House, the lodge at the resort named after the US leader's Scottish mum. Bagpipers from Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen greeted Donald Trump as he arrived in Aberdeenshire shortly before 7pm, with Keir Starmer by his side. Uniformed servicemen saluted the leaders as they stepped off the aircraft, while Mr Trump saluted back before raising a triumphant fist as he greeted onlookers. It came just hours after protestors gathered at Balmedie to demonstrate against the president, with police lining the beach to prevent any from climbing the dunes onto the golf course. As well as official business however, this trip appears to be a family affair for the president as Donald Trump's children and grandchildren were spotted arriving in Aberdeenshire too. Donald Junior was seen stepping off a US helicopter along with Eric and their spouses. The president's grandchildren Tristan and Chloe exchanged high fives with Donald Junior on the lawn. Guests there for the occasion included Scottish golfing great Colin Montgomerie, who is hosting the PGA Seniors Championship at Menie later this week. Aberdeenshire aristocrat and businessman George Aberdeen was on hand too to greet Donald Trump. Mr Aberdeen is the founder and managing partner of Kinrise, a UK real-estate company that works to revitalise historic buildings and bring them back into use. His family has been looking after the Haddo Estate in Tarves for more than 550 years. John Swinney will also join the two leaders at a private dinner on Tuesday night. A Scottish Government spokesman said the dinner would 'provide the First Minister with an opportunity to advance the interests of Scotland to the President of the United States'.
