A MAN has been jailed for 18 months after embezzling nearly £70,000 from his employer to pay off massive gambling debts.
Christopher McMahon stole £68,205.33 from BAA Support Services between September 2012 and January last year. Paisley Sheriff Court heard yesterday that McMahon, 26, worked for the firm as a purchase-to-pay specialist from 2008 to 2013.
He was in charge of the accounts of firms Automania and Airport Energy Services. On September 26, 2012 he paid more than £68,000 into Airport Energy Services' account. The following day he paid the money again then contacted the firm by email, asking them to return the payment as it had been sent twice.
When it was returned, he transferred it to his cousin Kieran McMahon's bank account, registered to a Bank of Scotland account at a branch in Glasgow's Pollok area. In 2012 he transferred £3,390 from Automania's account to a Lloyds account, and was captured on CCTV taking £4,000 in cash.
The scheme came to light after he left BAA and a colleague could not balance the books. Police tracked McMahon down to the Saltire Boxing club where he worked as a trainer last year. He went to Govan's Helen Street police station and admitted what he had done.
Hazel Emmerson, prosecuting, said: "He had accumulated lots of debts, borrowing money from family and payday loan companies and it got on top of him."
Manus Tolland, defending, said McMahon used the money to pay loan firms, personal loans, acquaintances, friends and family he had borrowed from.
Sheriff James Spy jailed him for 18 months. He said: "This is a very sad case."
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