A Kirkcaldy woman has denied allegations that she embezzled £8,000 while managing a Glenrothes petrol station.
Carolyn Suttie has been accused of stealing the money while she worked as a site supervisor at a Shell station on the town’s Leslie Road.
It is alleged that the 50-year-old stole the cash over a two-month period between December 1 2010 and January 31 2011.
Sheriff James Williamson heard Suttie plead not guilty to the charge when she appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Monday.
Six of Suttie’s former colleagues, who worked under the accused at the petrol station, gave evidence at the trial.
Depute fiscal Dana Forbes heard from the witnesses that Suttie was the person responsible for handling the money taken in at the station.
Witnesses told the court that the station has a safety procedure in place in case thieves attempt to steal from the garage. Once there is a certain amount of money in the till, the computer will prompt the cashier to bank £100 during the day and £50 during the night.
Former employee Terri Steven said: “We had to do cash drops. I would count the money out then put it in a bag, place it in a chute and a small receipt would come off the till.
“Every time you made a drop you had to fill in a shift sheet. This would include the date, the amount and then you had to sign it. At the end of the day you had a total that you signed for.”
“Who counts the money from the chute drops?” Ms Forbes asked.
“As far as I know, the person in charge counts the money.”
Current sales assistant Christopher McIntosh said: “Unless you miscounted you would never be short of £100 or £50. There could be a £10 drop but that would usually be reconciled when you would be £10 over at the end of the day.”
The court heard that the petrol station had two safes in its back office, a small safe that every employee had access to and a large safe that could only be accessed by the supervisor.
The station was visited three times a week by armoured car company Loomis. Loomis officers would take the cash away in sealed bags, which the supervisor was responsible for filling up.
James Scott, who is currently assistant supervisor at the garage, worked as a cashier during the period Suttie is accused of stealing the money.
Ms Forbes queried whether there was ever a time when he would go into the back office and find the large safe to be open.
He replied: “The safe was only open when Carolyn was counting money. At one time there used to be a shift in the middle of the day and there were times when she’d phone me and say she’d forgotten if she’d locked the safe and could I go and check. I never found it to be unlocked and this happened a few times.”
Suttie, of Greenloanings, Kirkcaldy, denies the allegation that between December 1 2010 and January 31 2011, at Shell UK, Leslie Road, Glenrothes, she, while in the employment of MH Services, Glasgow Road, Camelon, embezzled £8,000.
The trial, which is expected to last two days, continues at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.