A WORKER stole more than £4000 from a firm by taking advantage of an error with his colleague's maternity pay.

Paul McMaster abused Grace MacKinnon's honesty, Glasgow Sheriff Court was told last week, to take £4037.41 from Motherwell firm Ascensos.

The depute fiscal told the court how in November 2017, Ms MacKinnon was leaving to have a baby but had not been at the firm long enough to qualify for maternity pay.

But when she checked her bank account she saw she had been paid £1145.17 in error.

Realising she wasn't due to receive these wages the new mum contacted her boss, McMaster, by email and on Facebook messenger for help in resolving the issue.

Ms MacKinnon sent screenshots of her payslip and McMaster told her he would get bank details for her to pay the cash back.

She then transfered £800.51 to the bank account provided by the accused.

Ms MacKinnon was subsequently paid other salary amounts from Ascensos she was not entitled to and transferred these to the account details she believed were her employer's.

In March 2018 she contacted Ascensos's payroll department and was told no money had been received by the firm.

Police were contacted and the bank account details, it then emerged, were McMaster's own. 

His defence brief told the court that the 49-year-old had issues with alcohol.

She said: "This was a gross breach of trust and the position of trust he was in. 

"He fully takes responsibility.

"He had learned shortly before his arrest that police were looking for him as they had contacted his ex-wife.

"He has trouble with depression and mental health difficulties and that has led to him drinking and a problem with alcohol that he is trying to address."

The money, she said, was used to pay rent arrears he had built up while "things were spiralling out of control for him".

Sheriff Vincent Lunny described the crime as a "breach of trust and position of power".

He said: "This is a very serious offence. Doing it in a position of power over someone else is worse.

"You took advantage of her honesty."

McMaster was ordered to pay the money back at a rate of £200 a month and placed on a community payback order with two years' supervision.

He was tagged for four months and told to stay at home between the hours of 7.30pm and 7.30am.