A FINANCE worker embezzled over £350,000 from the British Red Cross, under the guise of sending money to former delegates and staff.

Mary Booth was "a trusted and valued" British Red Cross employee for 34 years and initially worked at the charity's headquarters in London.

She earned £45,000 a year and retired with a full pension and lump sum after working at the charity's Scottish headquarters in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

But the 56-year-old siphoned £359,551.27 from the charity's accounts, which she paid in to her own bank accounts, until her retirement in August 2015.

She claims she took the money from the charity, which works with vulnerable people across the world, so she could continue to fund her online gambling habit after splitting from her husband.

She is now facing jail and may have to sell her £350,000 home to pay back the money.

The details emerged when Booth, of Croyden, South London, appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court to admit her guilt.

She pleaded guilty to embezzling £359,551.27 between November 1, 2008, and August 31, 2015, at the British Red Cross offices in Smithhills Street, Paisley, Renfrewshire, and Moorfields in London, near Moorgate underground station.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Scot Dignan said, who was payroll manager and in a "position of trust", had access to the charity's bank accounts and BACS payment systems, allowing her to send money to herself.

In February 2016, once Booth had retired, Deborah McBean, the charity's head of control and compliance, noticed irregularities in payments from the year before.

Eamonn O'Donnell, the charity's head of transactional operations, became involved and discovered there was no appropriate paperwork attached to a number of suspect transactions.

A full investigation and audit was launched and, during the investigation, Booth's crime came to light.

Mr Dignan said: "Mrs Booth had embezzled sums from the charity's accounts, and salary payments, for foreign delegates' payments and current and former employees, in to bank accounts in her own name."

Once they discovered the money had been embezzled, the British Red Cross had the bank accounts the money had been paid in to frozen.

Booth then emailed the charity and asked them to lift the freeze on her TSB and Natwest accounts, saying she would "make an agreement regarding any missing money."

The matter was reported to Police Scotland and the Forensic Investigation Unit was called in.

Booth was later interviewed at her home in England and admitted her guilt.

Defence solicitor Jonathan Manson said: "The most important thing in this case is to find a way the British Red Cross can be reimbursed."

He said Booth could get £250,000 from the sale of her £350,000 home and had a further £64,000 in her bank she could give to the charity.

The lawyer said it was "a flagrant abuse of her position of trust" and added: "The accountants of the Red Cross took such a long time to find this large sum of money had gone missing – it is public money, public funds, and was due to help people abroad.

"It was a ham-fisted plot.

"She was the subject of a fairly acrimonious divorce, had been gambling for a period of time before that and was able to afford it.

"Two incomes became one, she continued with the gambling and tried it once and got away with it and it then simply got out of hand.

"She was shocked and appalled at the figure actually taken - she had no idea."

Sheriff Seith Ireland called for background reports ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case until next month.

He could jail Booth for up to five years or her case could be remitted to the High Court if he believes a longer sentence is required.

The British Red Cross give support to needy individuals on home and foreign soil, tackling major health issues and offering social care and support to vulnerable people.

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: "This member of staff operated with our trust and that has given us cause to think long and hard about how we tighten up our procedures.

"We have taken several important steps to review and further strengthen our financial controls and procedures to prevent this from ever happening again.

"We are deeply shocked that someone from within the Red Cross community would betray our cause and our trust in this way.

"We are doing everything we can to recover the lost funds."