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| Man took £128,000 for 'good life' | Man took £128,000 for 'good life' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| An accountant who embezzled almost £130,000 as he funded his girlfriend's "luxury" lifestyle has been jailed for a year. | |
| Andrew Rennie, 26, gave her £38,000 for designer jewellery, clothes and cosmetic surgery, and bought a flat for them to live in. | Andrew Rennie, 26, gave her £38,000 for designer jewellery, clothes and cosmetic surgery, and bought a flat for them to live in. |
| He felt pressurised because his partner "enjoyed the good life", Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard. | He felt pressurised because his partner "enjoyed the good life", Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard. |
| Rennie admitted taking the money from the Don Fishing Company Ltd. | Rennie admitted taking the money from the Don Fishing Company Ltd. |
| Rennie, of Westhill, Aberdeenshire, took the money while working as an accounts assistant between September 2004 and December 2005. | |
| He got away with it and felt an overwhelming temptation to do it again Paul BarnettDefence lawyer | |
| Bosses had signed blank cheques for him to fill in for work purposes which he then cashed into his own bank account. | |
| The court heard Rennie, who was in debt, first took £10,000 to pay the deposit on a mortgage. | |
| Fiscal depute Ian Warburton said: "As part of his duties, he was responsible for the rationing and the completion of company cheques. | |
| "He would take the cheques to one of two signatories to be signed. | |
| "It was company policy at the time that they signed blank cheques and simply handed them back to Mr Rennie for completion. | |
| "It became clear there were a number of unexplained payments from the company bank account and a number of discrepancies came to light." | |
| The court heard Rennie handed police receipts for a number of "luxury goods" and admitted stealing when he was caught. | |
| 'Dishonest character' | |
| Defence lawyer Paul Barnett said of the relationship between Rennie and his partner: "He felt pressurised by her to spend outwith his means to pay for the lifestyle she enjoyed living. | |
| "He got away with it and felt an overwhelming temptation to do it again." | |
| He said Rennie's girlfriend "enjoyed the good life". | |
| The court heard the embezzlement was out of character for the first offender and he had repaid £85,000. | |
| Sheriff Annella Cowan branded Rennie a "dishonest character" before jailing him. | |
| She told him: "It is easy to take the view that white collar crime such as embezzlement is not as serious as other matters this court deals with. | |
| "This was taken by you illegally from your employers. You were in a position of trust." |