A MANAGER at a Luss hotel was sacked after he was found to have been embezzling cash from the business.

Robert Forrest rang up refunds on customers’ meals and then pocketed the cash for himself in a bid to ease his own financial problems.

But the 34-year-old was fired from his senior role at the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel after his deception was uncovered.

Forrest appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday to be sentenced after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of embezzling £1,222.20 from the hotel in the centre of the village while employed as its bar and catering manager.

Sentence had been deferred in order for background reports to be obtained from social workers.

The offence was committed between April 25 and May 29 last year.

Fiscal depute Scott Simpson told the court: “The matter is relatively self-explanatory.

“A number of suspicious transactions took place, which were evidenced by receipts, and there was also CCTV evidence.

“The accused was confronted by management and admitted taking the cash.

“He faced up to his responsibilities. But it goes without saying that this is a situation where somebody was in a position of trust, and he breached that trust.”

Forrest’s solicitor, Scott Adair, said his client had pleaded guilty to the charge on his first appearance in court.

Mr Adair told Sheriff John Hamilton: “He was refunding a meal and taking the cash.

“You have the background in terms of his own housing and financial issues. He thought this was a way of assisting in that regard.

“He hasn’t been in employment since this incident and is unlikely to gain employment in the future – certainly in a situation where there’s going to be money available.

“He understands that you will almost inevitably be looking at an alternative to custody.

“He is fit to do unpaid work and an element of supervision might be helpful to him.”

Mr Adair said there had been no repayment of the cash because of Forrest’s financial circumstances, which Sheriff Hamilton described as “dire”.

Sheriff Hamilton placed Forrest under social workers’ supervision until June 2019 and ordered him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work within 12 months, reduced from 180 because of his early guilty plea.

The sheriff said: “You are beginning to take the right steps to address your issues and I would encourage you to continue to engage to enable that to be done.”

Forrest, of Tudhope Crescent in Alexandria, originally faced a further accusation of stealing a quantity of alcohol from the same hotel on May 29 last year, but his plea of not guilty to that charge was accepted by the Crown.