A Fife dental nurse who stole nearly £27,000 from the NHS has narrowly avoided being sent to prison.
Susan Veitch, of Striven Place in Glenrothes, embezzled £26,943.98 while working at the dental anaesthetic clinic at Dunfermline’s Queen Margaret Hospital, between April 2012 and January 2017.
The 36-year-old, who lost her job as a result of the offence, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to the charge earlier this month.
Sheriff Pino Di Emidio told the court Veitch had taken the money in “relatively minor chunks” and that it went undetected through a system which did not seem to have any cross-checking to ensure receipts came in.
Kept ‘dipping into’ funds
Defence lawyer David Bell said her offending was picked up when someone ran a “control report” which revealed a financial shortfall.
Mr Bell said: “The fact it was not picked up, my client has kept on taking and dipping into it.
“That does not mitigate someone and it’s simply a statement of fact.
“My client recognises the seriousness of the offence.
“It’s a breach of trust and not an insignificant sum of money taken.
“There was a hole in her finances which resulted in her taking money with the intention of returning (it) and that did not happen and matters snowballed.”
Mr Bell highlighted Veitch, who now works as a cleaner, is a first offender and pled guilty to the offence before trial.
The solicitor also said his client gave birth five months ago and stressed a custodial sentence would impact on her ability to care for her child and break the mother-and-infant bond, which could have long-term consequences.
The court also heard Veitch is yet to pay back the embezzled money but Mr Bell said it would be conceivable the NHS may wish to take the sum from her pension pot as she worked there for over a decade.
Child taken into consideration
Sheriff Di Emidio told Veitch: “You have pled guilty to the charge that involved embezzlement of a significant sum of money at a level which, for a first offender, puts you very much in the category that the court has to consider significant imprisonment.
“In the circumstances I am persuaded that, although that would very much be the norm for a loss of this kind, I have sufficient available alternatives.
“I take into account primarily you are a first offender and also I place considerable emphasis on the current responsibility you have for a very young child.”
The sheriff sentenced Veitch to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to prison.
She was also ordered to wear a tag and stay at home from 7pm to 7am daily for six months.
A progress review was also fixed for four months and the sheriff warned any breach of her restriction of liberty order would mean a return to court.
