An embezzler who left a Fife kids club charity in “financial crisis” and stole more than £80,000 from a local coffee firm is behind bars.
Beverley Bennie previously admitted pocketing £83,599.93 in total from Myrtle Coffee and £12,771.69 from Kids Come First while in positions of trust at both organisations.
The mother-of-two returned to Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to be sentenced after a social work report was prepared and was jailed by a sheriff who labelled her crimes “unspeakable”.
Gary Braid, director of Myrtle Coffee, said more money went missing from his firm than the amount mentioned in court and added he was happy to see his former business manager jailed.
“The reality is there is no length of time I would be happy with but I am just glad she is serving a custodial sentence.
“For 18 months collectively we have maintained our dignity and professionalism, which at times has been very difficult.
“This individual showed no regard for anyone but herself and stooped to levels of deceit and lies that are beyond belief.
“She has shown no morals and no care for her employer, friends, and family. She is the lowest of the low.”
Jailed for ‘unspeakable offences’
Sheriff John MacRitchie jailed Bennie for 20 months and fixed a confiscation hearing.
He said the coffee firm embezzlement “involved a level of sophistication”.
Regarding the club thefts, he said: “Even your own children were benefitting from the before and after-school care.
“Your behaviour created a situation where the charity did not have funds to pay the staff.
“The manager was told there were no funds to pay her salary. You placed the charity in a financial crisis.
“In assessing the blameworthiness, it is inconceivable that anyone would not have foreseen the harm you caused.
“You state you are unable to explain why you embezzled the monies.”
The sheriff said: “There are occasions when an offence is so serious only a significant sentence of imprisonment is appropriate to achieve these purposes. This is such an occasion.”
The sheriff said this would “express society’s utmost disapproval of such unspeakable offences.”
He labelled Bennie’s conduct as “shameful,” egregious” and “simply shocking.”
Mitigation
Bennie’s solicitor Adam Scott said his first offender client would offer to pay back £950 per month but criminal court compensation orders can only last 18 months.
He said: “At the time, Miss Bennie was in an abusive relationship.
“As a result, she found herself in monetary issues. There were also issues with drug abuse.
“She does say she told the social worker about this but it’s not made it’s way into the report.
“There was perhaps an element of escapism.”
He added his client had expressed regret and remorse and “made no attempt to diminish her responsibility”.
Coffee firm thefts
The court previously heard Bennie was a business manager at Myrtle Coffee, in Kirkcaldy’s Oswald Road, from 2016.
She had access to petty cash, vending machine takings, money from customer sales and a fixed £20,000 float held in a secure safe.
Colleagues had cause to check this and noted there was no petty cash and an apparent £700 shortfall in the fixed float.
She was reported to company bosses after another check and failed to attend an interview about it and did not return to work.
The fiscal said a “deep financial audit” was carried out, which showed Bennie had carried out a “number of fraudulent transactions” over the near-six-year offending period.
Fiscal Sarah Smith said: “She had inflated the values of genuine receipts, reversed transactions, duplicated genuine receipts, fabricated receipts, created false accounts, as well as many other methods, to reduce and manipulate the petty cash balance.
“This allowed her to make transfers to herself and take payments out of the petty cash.”
A check of Bennie’s personal account showed transactions from the electronic account and numerous large cash deposits.
The fiscal added: “The total money obtained by the accused was £83,599.93.”
Bennie was arrested on December 20 2023 at her home and said to her husband: “It’s about that money from Myrtle, it was only a matter of time.”
Kids club crisis
Bennie’s children attended Kids Come First and she was made treasurer in August 2018, with access to two bank accounts.
There was not enough money to pay staff in October, November or December 2021 and an emergency committee meeting in January 2022 discovered the club was in “financial crisis” with no funds.
The committee was dissolved but shameless Bennie tried to return as treasurer when it reformed. She got no votes.
A forensic accountant was instructed by Fife Council to carry out an audit and “a number of unauthorised cash transfers” made by Bennie to her personal account, totalling £12,771.69 were uncovered.
Bennie – who claimed to have previously paid £400 of her own money to cover wages – did pay back £1,590.
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