Jailed sheriff clerk led a double life on £130k he defrauded

Graeme Wilson, 29, altered information on juror citations so he claimed their expenses and received money for psychological assessments that had not been asked for in two fraudulent schemes set up over three years.

His lawyer Duncan Hughes yesterday told the court Wilson had spent the cash on clothes, food, eating out and holidays.

"As far as the money is concerned it has not been stashed away somewhere, it is not recoverable."

Mr Hughes said the trigger for Wilson's offending was the traumatic breakdown of a five-year relationship in 2005.

"He got into a new relationship and developed a lifestyle which he could not afford. He told his girlfriend his parents were funding his lifestyle and told his parents he had a better job than he had. He was essentially living a double life."

Sheriff Deidre MacNeill QC jailed Wilson for 24 months and said it would have been 36 months if he had not pled guilty.

She said the public were entitled to expect the utmost integrity from the justice system which he had breached by forming two "cunning" and "devious" plans to defraud the sheriff clerk's office.

In total Wilson, of Canon Byrne Glebe, Kirkcaldy, changed facts on 206 jurors relating to loss of earnings or attendance and entered false data into the computer system.

Wilson would change the juror's name to his own and make out cheques payable to himself which netted him around 52,000.

He would then change the record on the computer system back to the juror's name so there was no evidence of his crime.

When the computer system was changed at court and Wilson was moved to a different department he set up a second scheme.

He fabricated 72 invoices purporting to come from doctors requesting payment for fees for psychological assessments which he pretended the court had called for. Cheques were sent to addresses for the false doctors which were redirected to him. From this scam Wilson obtained around 78,000.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard when colleagues wondered how he was able to afford a plush lifestyle he gave a string of excuses which included having wealthy parents, working as a semi-professional rugby player and rent income from a flat.

The court heard Wilson started his employment with the Sheriff Court Service in October 2003.

He had initially been employed on a casual basis but had become permanent. The fiscal said he had learned about the various procedures and had then abused them for his own gain.

Wilson, a first offender, admitted forming two fraudulent schemes and obtaining approximately 130,000 by fraud.