A mother-of-three who swindled a Moray golf club out of tens of thousands of pounds while she was general manager has promised to pay the money back.
The amount of money Barbara-Anne Rumbles embezzled from Elgin Golf Club is in dispute as she pled guilty to taking a sum which was almost £100,000 less than the club maintains was its loss.
The decision to accept a guilty plea for the lower amount has provoked anger with the golf club, which today said its members have been “failed” by the Crown Office.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service defended its actions, saying “available evidence and applicable law” were taken into account before accepting the guilty plea.
Elgin Golf Club’s captain also warned the club is still counting the cost of Rumbles’ dishonestly – and could be held financially responsible for debts she ran up.
Rumbles, 48, appeared for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court today after initially denying embezzling £142,209.02 from the accounts of Elgin Golf Club over the course of three years.
However, following legal discussions, that figure was cut substantially to £45,840.77 and Rumbles admitted the reduced charge.
Sentence had been deferred for a background report and Rumbles sat sobbing in the dock as her solicitor, Sarah Munro, addressed Sheriff Ian Cruickshank.
‘Temptation got too much for her’
Ms Munro began by claiming that “no harm was done” which prompted the sheriff to interject: “Surely there was financial harm caused to the golf club.”
Ms Munro went on to say that her client was a hard worker but “eventually temptation got too much for her”.
“She is extremely remorseful and will never find herself in this position again. She moved out of the area because of the shame she felt,” said Ms Munro.
“She wants to make amends and pay everything back. There have been discussions about repayment and she hopes to pay it back at £1,000 a month.
“The family have moved into a smaller house to lower their monthly outgoings.”
Sheriff Cruickshank told Rumbles, now of Meikle Crescent, Airdrie, that because she was a first offender, she could not be jailed if there was a suitable alternative.
He decided to impose a community payback order whereby Rumbles must carry out 225 hours of unpaid work, remain under social work supervision for 18 months and stay in her home between 7pm and 7am for six months.
When the golf club heard that the sum of money had been reduced, its captain Ian Savage wrote to all members to say the club disputes the sums involved.
He said: “Our understanding is that there has been an amendment to this figure which the procurator fiscal has accepted.
“We can say that we do not accept the amended figure however, the procurator fiscal requires to consider various factors including standards of proof in accepting a plea.”
‘Club has been failed by the Crown Office’
Sheriff Cruickshank said that there was a civil recourse for the club to retrieve the money.
But he added: “I would hope you will make efforts to repay it.
“This was a sustained and preplanned example of dishonesty on your part and you abused a position of trust for your own financial gain.”
Reacting to the news that Rumbles would not be jailed, club captain Jock Royan said: “Elgin Golf Club has been failed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Office.
“In her position of manager of Elgin Golf Club, Ms Rumbles identified a loophole in the financial practices of the club.
“Rather than highlighting the problem to the club committee so it could be rectified, Ms Rumbles chose to exploit it, to her own financial benefit, over a prolonged period.”
Mr Rovan said a forensic accountant commissioned by the club put Rumbles’ ill-gotten gains at more than £140,000.
‘The consequences of her actions still severely impact the club to this day’
“That report was available to Police Scotland and available to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Office,” he said. “The findings of that report contain evidence relating to losses incurred by the club, following unauthorised and fraudulent activity directly attributable to Ms Rumbles amounting to at least £142,209.02.
“As a result of the COPFS accepting a guilty plea of convenience, relating to the significantly reduced amount of £45,840.06, the findings of the forensic audit have largely been ignored.
“Elgin Golf Club now anticipate a challenge by creditors for repayment of loans they believe due to them, when in fact all were obtained fraudulently by Ms Rumbles. We have therefore been let down irreparably by COPFS.
“Far from being a victimless crime, Ms Rumbles stole from members, the majority of whom are typically working men and women.
“Whilst any repayment to be made by Ms Rumbles is welcomed by the Club we remain extremely disappointed that this is likely to only be a fraction of the sum believed to have been stolen.
“The consequences of her actions still severely impact the club to this day and will do for some considerable time to come and the fact that Ms Rumbles did not receive a custodial sentence for the magnitude of this crime is beyond our comprehension.”
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “Crimes of dishonesty have a damaging impact on those affected and Scotland’s prosecutors treat them seriously.
“Barbara Rumbles abused a position of trust and we recognise the impact her crimes have had on Elgin Golf Club.
“Prosecutors will accept guilty pleas that are in the public interest, taking into account a range of factors including available evidence and applicable law.
“Sentencing is passed by the presiding judge.”
Huge sums paid into bank account
The court had previously been told that Rumbles, also known as Bartlett, transferred huge sums of money from the club’s account into her own using online banking and fake references such as “Grampian” and “HMRC”.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair said Rumbles initially worked as an administrative manager at the course before being appointed general manager in April 2016 and was responsible for the day-to-day running of the club and the management of its finances.
Just seven months later, the fraud began and Rumbles started secretly transferring club funds – ranging from £764 to £28,814 – into her own bank account.
“Any orders over £3,000 required the prior approval of the captain,” Ms Gair said.
“But ahead of the annual general meeting in 2018, the club was surprised to learn that it had made a significant loss and instructed accountants to carry out an external audit.”
Rumbles admitted embezzling the money between November 23 2016 and October 29 2019.
The court was told that she pocketed £7,801.48 from the club in 2016, £764.40 in 2017, £10,460.06 in 2018 and £26,814.83 in 2019.
