Woman who embezzled thousands from Balmacara Hotel in Ross-shire is jailed

A 61-year-old woman with a history of dishonesty and fraud committed in Ireland embezzled over £3000 from a Wester Ross hotel five years ago.

When Marian Aitkenhead was caught by police, she attempted to deceive them by giving them a false name and claiming to be only 36-years-old.

Aitkenhead, who was living at Glaik Cottage, Balmacara at the time, is now currently on remand pending an extradition hearing back to Ireland, she told Inverness Sheriff Court.

Aitkenhead represented herself and pleaded guilty to embezzlement between May 16, 2018 and July 1, 2018, attempting to pervert the course of justice and a failure to appear for a court hearing four years ago on the same charges.

She apologised to Sheriff Gary Aitken, saying: "I am very sorry it has taken so long to come to court."

Fiscal depute Emily Hood said that Aitkenhead was employed at the Balmacara Hotel and transferred £3007 into her then partner's bank account. over a period of months.

Ms Hood said when he saw the transaction that he didn't recognise, he quizzed her about it and was told it was perfectly legal and the hotel knew about it.

But further investigations revealed that the hotel knew nothing about the transfer and the police were informed.

When police questioned Aitkenhead in November, 2018, she told them she was a Mariane O'Shea but could not provide proof. She said that the transfer was an error and she would repay the money. However she did not.

Sheriff Aitken reviewed her previous convictions and noted that she had previously been jailed in County Donegal for three years for offences of dishonesty.

He jailed her for a total of four months.