A 70-year-old woman has been jailed for 18 months after embezzling more than £70,000 from a church in East Lothian, Scotland, while acting as treasurer.
Janet Farquhar, from Cockenzie, had previously pleaded guilty to embezzling £72,155.34 from Chalmers Memorial Church in Port Seton between January 16, 2008 and July 11 2016, the BBC reported.
Sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court had been deferred, and Farquhar has repaid £15,000 to the church, reportedly leaving a balance of £57,155.
For the defence, solicitor Colm Dempsey said that Farquhar had expressed her willingness to repay the church in full and had offered to give them standard security on her property.
He said that houses in her street had sold for around £200,000. Her son had recently moved to Elgin and she also intended to move there, the lawyer added.
Dempsey said that although some work might be required on the house, there would be sufficient funds to repay in full and the church was said to have agreed to that.
The solicitor conceded that there had been a gross breach of trust over a long period of time, but claimed that it had not been to fund an extravagant lifestyle.
He said Farquhar had a range of health problems; she had to use two sticks to walk, had a metal plate in her shoulder and received care twice a week from a nurse.
He also pointed out that she suffered from shame and embarrassment, being well-known in her local small community and felt ostracised.
He said that once the money was paid back she hoped 'to make peace with the congregation'.
He asked Sheriff Peter Braid to allow his client to sell her home and replay the church before making an assessment on sentence.
But Sheriff Braid pointed out that Farquhar had been embezzling money while she was still in employment and earning, and had taken £12,000 from collections – money which could have come from people of limited means.
She had also forged bank statements, the Sheriff said.
He concluded that there was no alternative to a custodial sentence, adding that taking into account some mitigating factors, he would reduce the sentence from two years to 18 months.
