Hotel worker embezzled £76k in expenses

A HOTEL worker embezzled more than £75,000 by fiddling her colleagues' expenses.

Jill Calder, 39, left her job as a purchase ledger manager at Edinburgh's North British Hotel before the crime was spotted. But almost five years' worth of irregularities were traced to her when a former colleague noticed expenses had gone unpaid.

After police charged Calder last year, she lost her job and home and now lives with her parents, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

She admitted embezzling 76,871 from the hotel in Queen Charlotte Lane, Leith, between 1 July, 2004 and 16 March, 2009.

Fiscal-depute John Kirk said: "This came to light when one of the people who was due legitimate expenses had not received their payment. Calder had by then left for another job and an investigation uncovered bookkeeping anomalies."

Calder, of Marina Road, Bathgate, was ordered to return to court for sentencing next month pending background reports. She was bailed until then.