£900k office thief spent it as fast as she could steal it

Conwoman siphoned off riches from property firm and splurged the lot on millionaire lifestyle... including a lavish Halloween party for £40,000

- ALAN McEWEN

A CROOKED office manager stole over £900,000 from her bosses to fund an extravagant luxury lifestyle - including a £40,000 Halloween party in a castle.

Emma Hunt conned a large Edinburgh property firm out of a fortune by pilfering rent payments made by tenants for three years.

Rents being paid into McLean Properties were being diverted straight into bank accounts controlled by Hunt, allowing her to live like a millionaire despite having a salary of £1800 per month.

The 37-year-old used the ill-gotten gains to go on a spending spree on luxury holidays, high-end hotels and pricey cars. She threw a costumed bash for Halloween at a 16th century castle in East Lothian where the marquee cost alone hit more than £12,000 and the total price tag was almost £40,000.

Friends and family were treated to extravagant VIP days out at Six Nations rugby matches, Musselburgh Racecourse, and the Scottish Open golf championship.

Hunt took her mum to a five-star all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean and enjoyed a weekend trip to Dublin where she shelled out £6590.

But her scheme came crashing down after a tenant queried the payments and her crimes were finally uncovered by bosses. Hunt went on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court after denying the offences and spun a web of lies when she gave evidence.

The fraudster made outrageous claims that a boss at the property firm, now deceased, allowed her to spend the cash to buy her silence.

Hunt told jurors the gaffer was putting up prostitutes in flats - but the jury rejected her claims and found her guilty of stealing more than £900,000. The crook told pals she raked in huge sums from running her own cleaning business.