Driver jailed for stealing £3000 from tool hire firm

A DRIVER has been jailed for six months for stealing nearly £3000 from the city tool hire company he worked for.

Andrew Alexander - a driver with Brandon Tool Hire at their Hawkhill depot - admitted stealing 2780.41 between July 3 and August 24 last year, when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

The court heard a check on the company accounts had revealed that refunds had been made which did not correspond with the record of goods being sold.

And further inquiries showed that two refunds had been paid into a Bank of Scotland account into which the wages of an employee were also paid.

Defence solicitor, Mark Harrower, told Sheriff Michael O'Grady QC, that Alexander, 35, of Bogwood Court, Dalkeith, had got into financial difficulties trying to keep up credit payments for a car.

"He is not rolling in cash" said the lawyer, adding that he only had 5.62 in his bank account.

Mr Harrower admitted that his client "had done this sort of thing before".

But he said Alexander had got another job and was willing to pay compensation to his former employers.

Sheriff O'Grady told Alexander: "This is a serious enough offence in itself, but having regard to your record, the amount taken, the breach of trust and the fact that you have appeared in court on 18 occasions with 11 charges of dishonesty and already been jailed for embezzlement, you are going back to jail again".