A young man today admitted stealing cash from a charity event he had organised to raise money in memory of a baby who died of cot death.
Justin Mackland, 25, took money raised by the community to help bereaved families as well as fund research into sudden infant death syndrome.
He contacted the founder of local charity Layla’s Angels and asked for permission to set up a Halloween ball at his local village hotel on October 31, 2014.
The hairdresser took on the role of the treasurer and was in charge of transferring cash from ticket sales and donations into the charity’s Just Giving account.
All money raised through the Newmachar Hotel event was to be handed over to the Layla’s Angels charity which was set up in memory of a little baby called Layla Lovie who died a few days after she was born in 2013.
The charity raises cash through donations and events for the Scottish Cot Death Trust.
However, Mackland, of 31 Station Road, Newmachar, stole some of the money because he was out of work and did not want to turn to his family for help.
He was charged after the Layla’s Angels founder grew suspicious and called in police.
Mackland was initially charged with embezzlement but admitted a reduced charge of theft today at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Depute fiscal Cheryl Clark told the court Mackland had organised tickets and the DJs and effectively became the treasurer of the ‘Full Moon Ball’ collecting all the money from buckets and other donations.
She said: “The money was then to be put into a JustGiving page for the charity Layla’s Angels.”
However, the money was not paid into the account until the 1st of December.
Mackland transferred £615 on that date followed by a further £500 almost two weeks later.
The founder of the charity contacted police because the money had not been transferred into the charity account.
By the time the police interviewed the hairdresser in June 2015 all the cash had been repaid.
Ms Clark said: “However, he did accept and told the police of his own volition that he had spent £500 at a time when he was unemployed.
“He didn’t want to ask his mum for any money. He didn’t want to have caused any stress.
“He didn’t think anyone would notice and he had put £500 back into the account.”
Defence lawyer Peter Shepherd said there was not much more he could say about the matter.
He said: “He’s lost his previous good character and that’s the biggest blow to him.”
Sheriff Christine McCrossan sentenced him to a community payback order and told him to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.
She said: “I don’t think there’s anything that I can say that will probably make you feel worse than you probably feel about this matter.”
