A charity worker embezzled nearly £9,000 intended to take grieving children on day trips.
Deborah Gallagher pocketed the cash to feed her online gambling habit, which she developed when her father became ill.
The money came from the Highland-based Crocus Group, an organisation that helps youngsters who have lost a close friend or relative, sometimes by organising trips for them.
Charity coordinator Gallagher, who worked for the group for 14 years, abused her position of trust by faking invoices for trips and events that never took place and channelling the cash to her own bank account.
The 52-year-old yesterday admitted embezzling £8,824.49 between April 2013 and November 2015.
Last night, the charity’s chairman Eric Butlin said they had been “let down very badly” by Gallagher, and said they wanted the money back to further support bereaved children.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard the mother-of-three was caught out after a generous fundraiser posted a comment online about two donations he had made to the charity – prompting the secretary to check the books.
Fiscal depute Stewart MacIver said: “In late 2014, a man who had made a previous donation to the charity made a further one.
“He had earlier been given bank details by Gallagher and asked her for confirmation that the charity’s information was still correct. But he had been given her own bank details and the funds were placed in her account.
“He had previously raised £1,250 and had raised another £903. But when he posted on Facebook about the donations, the group’s secretary responded to him, checked and discovered that the funds were not there.
“She then ascertained that the bank details given to him belonged to Gallagher. The charity’s committee met and the matter was reported to the police.”
Further investigations revealed there were a number of false invoices.
Mr MacIver added: “One for £1,195 for a bereavement awareness day which Gallagher said she paid out of her own funds and was reclaiming the money.
“Another was for a day’s coach trip which the company said never happened. There was also transactions for almost £4,000 for Loch Insh Watersports which the company confirmed was false.”
Defence lawyer Marc Dickson told the court his client, of 52 Caledonian Road, Inverness, “bitterly” regretted her actions and would pay the cash back.
He said: “At the time, her father suffered ill health and she nursed him.
“As a coping mechanism, she developed an addiction to online gambling. She realises her behaviour was reprehensible and that she betrayed a position of trust. She bitterly regrets that and wants to pay back the money.”
But Sheriff Fleetwood demanded to know what action she had taken to reimburse the charity since she was charged almost six months ago.
“In this court we hear that people are full of good intentions but when it comes down to it, these intentions are never fulfilled.”
Mr Dickson said his client earned £1,400 a month and was prepared to pay the charity £500 a month.
The sheriff said: “I will defer sentence for six months for good behaviour and repayment at £500 a month. That will total £3,000 and if you do that, I will accept that you have more than good intentions. But if you don’t, you will proceed to a not so congenial sentence.”
Gallagher will re-appear on October 27.
