POLICE HAVE JUST RAIDED ..I WILL NEED A VISITOR IN JAIL.. I TOOK THE MONEY

Admin worker embezzled company cash and blew it on lavish family holiday, parties, cars and caravans

- DAVE FINLAY

A GRANDMOTHER who embezzled more than £1.5million from her employer's business was jailed for more than three years yesterday

Coleen Muirhead indulged in expensive holidays and bought cars and caravans after stealing the money over a six-year period.

The 55-year-old gran of seven's Facebook page is littered with photos of her on lavish family holidays including one at Christmas and enjoying herself on a boat. There are also other pics of her at lavish weddings and wearing fancy dress drinking with pals.

But her high life came crashing down in court when a judge told Muirhead that, regarding to the scale of the crime and the massive breach of trust, only a prison sentence was appropriate. Lord Fairley told her she would have faced a five-year jail term but it would be modified to three years and four months in jail following her guilty plea.

The judge said he had noted childhood trauma experienced by the first offender and mentioned in a background report prepared on her.

She earlier admitted embezzling £1,524,192.37 while employed at Panda Rosa Metals, in Aberdeen, between June 2015 and October 2021.

As Muirhead's crime was uncovered, she wrote to a colleague and said: "Police have just raided! So I will need a visitor in jail! Please don't think the worst of me.