A MOTHER-OF-TWO has been jailed for embezzling £69,000 from an oil firm to pay off a family debt.

Melanie Fraser , of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, worked in the accounts department of HRH Limited's Aberdeen headquarters for 15 years.

She ended up with ­thousands of pounds of debt on her credit cards and borrowed money from her father.

When he demanded back the £15,000 he gave her, she started to cash in on the company's money. She was caught out when another employee noticed accounting irregularities.

Fraser, 37, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing, having previously admitted embezzling £69,539.30 between August 1, 2010 and November 2, 2012.

Jailing her for 16 months, Sheriff William Summers described her actions as a "spectacular fall from grace".