A crooked Coatbridge office manager who helped herself to Celtic tickets and other treats with the company credit card has vowed to sell her home to repay her former bosses.
Karen Fitzpatrick siphoned off cash from PBR Building Services for almost five years.
The 53-year-old admitted embezzling £55,000 from the firm in Coatbridge.
Single mum Fitzpatrick, of Muiryhall Street, worked for the company for 17 years and latterly her two sons joined the workforce.
She was caught after bosses learned that £1000 had been spent on a private car number plate for her son.
She had been accused of embezzling £197,597.85, but her guilty plea to a reduced charge was accepted shortly before she was to stand trial.
Airdrie Sheriff Court heard Fitzpatrick took the money between January 2016 and November 2020.
She was due to be sentenced last week, but Sheriff Siobhan Connelly continued the case for more information about her efforts to repay the £55,000.
Defence lawyer Ross McGowan told the court: “Her only asset is the family home. It’s her intention to settle the repayment matter by selling the house.”
Colleagues were shocked at the scale of her deception.
A company spokesman said: “Fitzpatrick was trusted implicitly and everyone thought she was doing a great job.
“She had quite an extravagant lifestyle and was always out somewhere. There were holidays in Marbella and New York.
“She and one of her sons would go to Celtic’s European games.
“She had access to the company credit card and abused her power. No one can believe that a person so trusted would act like this – it’s unthinkable.”
Flora McCamley, prosecuting, said the crime came to light when the Clydesdale Bank had suspicions about a £1000 credit card purchase, with Fitzpatrick’s home given as the delivery address.
The fiscal stated: “Investigations revealed numerous transactions involving sums of money being paid from the company to the accused’s bank account.
“Her account was examined and transactions involving Amazon, Paypal, B&Q and Celtic Football Club aligned with the transfers from the company’s accounts.”
Aside from the repayment issue, Fitzpatrick is being pursued by the Crown under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Sheriff Connelly told her: “This was a breach of trust involving a significant amount of money.
“All options remain open to the court but I think the matter of repayment is significant.”
Sentence was deferred until later this year.
PBR is taking civil action against Fitzpatrick in relation to the total sum she was initially accused of embezzling.
Its spokesman said: “She should be accountable for the exact sum taken.
“We are fortunate as a company that we got through this, but everyone was affected by her behaviour.”
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