The former deputy chief executive of Jewish Care Scotland has admitted to embezzling more than £50,000 from the charity’s hardship fund.
Catherine Bell, who also acted as the Jewish charity’s director for social care, was responsible for distributing money to members of Scotland’s Jewish community who experience financial hardship.
At a hearing last week at Paisley Sheriff Court, Bell, 70, admitted to taking £54,435 between October 1, 2013 and October 25, 2018. She had been charged with taking the larger amount of £68,295.
Jewish Care Scotland, based in East Renfrewshire, is the only Jewish care charity in Scotland. Set up in 1858, it is not part of the Jewish Care charity in England.
As reported by the Scottish Daily Record, the Procurator fiscal depute, Jason Stark, told the court that “from February 2015 onwards, the accused would on a weekly basis apply for hardship funds by completing the hardship grant forms” relating to four specific families, which she referred to as “the usual four”.
The money in question amounted to £210 a week, as well as, at times, one-off payments. An unnamed witness at the trial confirmed counting out the money, which was put in four separate envelopes and given to the accused, with the latter claiming that she then delivered the money to a specific location, the Richmond Fellowship, where the families would collect it.
In 2018, however, the then chief compliance officer of the charity, Julie Marshall, began what was described to the court as a “compliance check”, to ensure that all qualifications of the charity’s staff were in order.
Mr Stark said: “Over the coming days, it was identified by the witness Marshall that the accused was not registered on the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for social workers.
“On October 25, 2018, the accused left the charity, awaiting the outcome of an internal investigation. On October 29, 2018, [the witness] notified Marshall of the accused’s ‘usual four’. Marshall had no knowledge of these payments.
“Information was then obtained from the Richmond Fellowship and the alleged recipients and it was confirmed that no money had been delivered or obtained by them. These findings led to Marshall contacting chartered accountants to request an audit of the accounts.
“During December 2018, the accountant carried out an audit of the hardship fund. This audit found the accused had misappropriated £54,435 from the hardship fund.”
Jewish Care Scotland is based in Giffnock, the town just outside Glasgow which contains Scotland’s largest Jewish community. It receives funds via a variety of means, including a grant from East Renfrewshire Council’s Health and Social Care partnership, as well as legacies, fundraising and donations.
Sentencing in the case has been deferred until next month, with bail being continued for the defendant.
