Latest news with #CashBackforCommunities
STV News
3 days ago
- Business
- STV News
Woman who stole from charity and family business ordered to pay back £36,000
A woman who stole thousands of pounds from a children's charity and family-run coffee business has been ordered to repay more than £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
The Courier
3 days ago
- Business
- The Courier
Thursday court round-up — £36k cash grab from kids charity swindler
A woman jailed for stealing thousands of pounds from a children's charity and a family-run coffee firm in Fife has been ordered to repay more than £36,000 under Proceeds of Crime laws. In January 2025, , 37, was sentenced to 20 months in prison after she admitted embezzling a total of £96,371 from Kids Come First and vending firm Myrtle Coffee in Kirkcaldy. At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, a confiscation order for £36,036.50 was made, to be paid in six months. Further assets can be seized in future if they become available to Bennie. 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. '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.' Bennie had been a business manager with Myrtle Coffee, which supplies wholesale coffee and vending services and was responsible for petty cash and an electronic cash account. Cash was found to be missing from the safe and during an audit, it was revealed Bennie had carried out numerous fraudulent transactions between September 2017 and September 2023, totalling £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. In 2021, it was revealed the charity had limited cash reserves and some staff members could not be paid. Fife Council instructed a forensic accountant to investigate and unauthorised cash transfers totalling £12,771.69 by accused between December 2020 and September 2021 were discovered. A Perthshire businessman who claimed to have created the Queen's favourite brew at 'Scotland's first tea plantation' has been convicted of an elaborate £550k fraud. – better known as Tam O'Braan – made up awards and qualifications to blag sales from some of the country's top hotels and stores including the Dorchester, the Balmoral and Fortnum and Mason. The father-of-four also duped growers from around Scotland into buying Camellia Sinesis tea plants from his remote facility in the hills of Amulree, south of Aberfeldy. In reality, the crops were purchased wholesale from a plantation in northern Italy. Read details of the amazing trial here. A habitual thief stole a £900 drill from a Perth industrial store. , 33, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court to be sentenced for the theft, as well as hits at three city Co-ops. He stole £63 worth of alcohol from the Tulloch store on March 16 last year, groceries and cigarettes worth £143 from the North Muirton branch three days later and cigarettes worth £242 from the Letham store the following day. On April 8 last year, he stole the drill from Highland Industrial Supplies at the city's Inveralmond Industrial estate. Prosecutor Elizabeth Hodgson said the accused would enter the Co-ops and pretend he was buying the items. When his card declined, he would just leave with the items. When he stole the drill by exploiting the 'on-tick type of purchasing,' Blyth was working as a plumber and was known to staff. Solicitor Lyndsey Barber said: 'He's taken steps – not just lip service.' Blyth, of Nimmo Place, was placed on a six-month curfew by Sheriff Clair McLachlan at Perth Sheriff Court. She said: 'You're sailing close to the custodial wind.' A pair of undercover police officers thwarted a Dundee paedophile's attempts to groom children on social media. , 40, sent a string of nauseating messages to two profiles he believed were an underage boy and girl. A creep who believed he was talking to a child bombarded an undercover police officer with a slew of sexual messages. , 35, is now a registered sex offender after he admitted trying to indecently communicate with a child for more than two months from his Fife home. Dundee Sheriff Court was told how Kerr thought he was talking to a 14-year-old girl on the adult chat room site Chat Avenue. The 'girl's' profile picture included a photo of her in school uniform, with her age clearly stated in the biography. Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan said Kerr 'went into in-depth descriptions' of sexual abuse he wished to carry out on the child. Kerr, of Crossgate, Cupar, pled guilty to repeatedly sending messages of a sexual nature and making reference to sexual activity while trying to communicate indecently with a child between November 25 2024 and January 28 this year. Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentencing on Kerr until next month for a social work report to be prepared and made him subject to the sex offenders register on an interim basis. A Perthshire chef has been jailed for historical sexual abuse. Thomas McPhee, the former head chef and manager at the Red Brolly Inn in Ballinluig, has been imprisoned for 58 weeks after admitting offences against two teenagers in the mid-2000s.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Woman who embezzled £96k from kids' charity and family business to repay just £36,000
Beverley Bennie, 37, swiped nearly £100,000 from the charity but has been ordered to repay just £36,036.50. A woman who embezzled nearly £100,000 from a kids' charity and family business has been ordered to repay just £36,000. Beverley Bennie, 37, swiped a total of £96,371 from Kids Come First and vending firm Myrtle Coffee in Kirkcaldy, Fife. She was jailed for 20 months after admitting the crime earlier this year. And yesterday, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court ordered her to repay a sum of £36,036.50 to communities under Proceeds of Crime laws. Bennie was given six months to pay the confiscation order. The order can be revisited if further assets are identified in the future to be paid towards the full amount due back to the charity. 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 fu n ds 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.' During a previous hearing, the court heard how Bennie worked as a business manager with Myrtle Coffee, which supplies wholesale coffee and vending services. Her role gave her access to the firm's system, and she was responsible for the petty cash as well as an electronic cash account. A fixed float of £20,000 was always held in the company safe, which was also the responsibility of Bennie. But after a financial review in August 2023, it was discovered a substantial amount of cash was missing from the safe as it 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 obtained by the fraudster was £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 reserve s and some staff members could not be paid. Fife Council then instructed charity bosses to hire a forensic accountant to examine the accounts and locate the missing cash. The damning results showed a number of unauthorised cash transfers totalling £12,771.69 made by Bennie between December 2020 and September 2021.
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Ayr MSP urges local organisations to apply for CashBack for communities funding
Organisations across South Ayrshire can apply for a share of £26m available through the next round of the The Scottish Government initiative. An MSP, in her capacity as Minister for Victims and Community Safety, has announced £26m of funding available through the CashBack for Communities programme. SNP politician Siobhian Brown is encouraging organisations across South Ayrshire to apply for a share of the cash available through the next round of the Scottish Government initiative, which channels money recovered from criminal activity into community projects, will support initiatives working with young people at risk of involvement in crime or antisocial behaviour. Funding will be awarded for the period 2026 to 2029, with applications opening on June 12 this year. Projects eligible for support will work with young people aged 10 to 25, offering a wide range of activities, including access to trusted adults, skill-building opportunities, and pathways into education, employment, or volunteering. Since its inception in 2008, the CashBack programme has invested £156m and supported around 1.4 million young people across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland. Ms Brown said: "I'm pleased to announce this funding. CashBack for Communities transforms the proceeds of crime into opportunities, helping young people develop skills, build confidence and stay on a positive path. "Over the next three years, we're making £26 million available to organisations delivering vital work with children and young people. I urge local groups in my constituency and across Scotland to apply. This is a chance to make a lasting difference and help young people thrive." The programme is a key part of the Scottish Government's Vision for Justice and supports efforts to build safer, fairer communities.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Criminals' seized assets helped 26,000 young people in Inverclyde, new figures show
MORE than 26,000 young people in Inverclyde have been helped by a scheme set up to plough assets seized from criminals back into local communities, according to new figures. Almost £2.2 million has been spent in the area since the CashBack for Communities scheme was set up in 2008, the Scottish Government has revealed. The initiative has helped fund Morton in the Community's Off the Bench programme, which aims to help young people across Inverclyde build better futures through access to education, physical and mental health support, as well as providing sailing opportunities through the Greenock-based Ocean Youth Trust. The programme uses money recovered from seized criminal assets to provide crucial support to young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in offending or antisocial behaviour. READ MORE: Open day to show off success of Morton community programme funded by criminals' seized assets Over the years, CashBack for Communities funding has also been used to fund 'Midnight League' football sessions for local youngsters and education sessions in local schools on the dangers of carrying knives, as well as school holiday activity programmes and new play facilities for children. The Scottish Government says that £2,187,132 has been spent in Inverclyde under the programme in the 16 years from 2008 to 2024, with 26,088 young people helped as a result. In 2023-24, the most recent year for which information is available, the government says 361 young people in Inverclyde were supported by the initiative, with funding of £135,379 delivered in the area. The government is now seeking applications for funding for the next phase of the programme, which runs from 2026 to 2029 and will see up to £26m provided to groups across Scotland. CashBack for Communities funds Morton in the Community's Off the Bench programme. (Image: Supplied) Applications for funding open on June 12. More information is available at The government says successful projects in the next stage of the programme will deliver a range of activities and support for those aged 10 to 25, to help tackle some of the underlying causes of antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. Since 2008 CashBack for Communities has invested £156 million and supported around 1.4 million young people across all 32 local authorities in Scotland. Siobhian Brown MSP, minister for community safety, said: 'CashBack for Communities is inspiring. It turns the proceeds of crime into life-changing opportunities for the thousands of young people who take part in projects across Scotland every year. The scheme has funded sailing opportunities for young people with the Greenock-based Ocean Youth Trust. 'Over the course of the next three years of the programme, we are providing £26 million to organisations to deliver diversionary and support work with children and young people. "By learning new skills and boosting their confidence, it helps young people in our communities who are at risk of becoming involved in crime be diverted from that path and realise their potential. 'Since its inception more than a million young people have received support to turn their lives around, with opportunities provided into employment, education or volunteering. "CashBack's success is also testament to the work of law enforcement partners in disrupting organised crime groups – bringing them to justice and seizing their ill-gotten gains, using them to deliver a successful programme across the country.'
