AN employee of the National Museum of Scotland who fraudulently obtained postage stamps worth over £14,000 then sold them on eBay has been jailed for 12 months.

Joseph McGuire, 46, of the Pleasance, in Edinburgh, earlier pleaded guilty previously to obtaining the stamps valued at £14,458 by fraud between January 1, 2011 and August 1, 2013. Sentence was deferred until yesterday for background reports.

Sentencing McGuire at the city's Sheriff Court, Sheriff Fiona Reith QC told him: "This was really a quite sophisticated scheme devised by you, apparently after having felt unfairly treated by your employers following disciplinary proceedings, which was then systematically persisted in month after month over a sustained period of about two and a half years."

McGuire, she added, had been in a position of trust as a messenger and the fraud had resulted in a significant loss to the Museum.

Sheriff Reith was told by defence solicitor, Jonathan Campbell, that his client fully accepted responsibility for the fraud and had tendered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

At the time of the offences there had been difficulties in his relationship, he was depressed after the disciplinary hearing, had financial difficulties and was caring for his father who had significant problems with dementia.

"He was not funding a lavish lifestyle" said Mr Campbell.