A devastated family say they are "hanging on by the skin of our teeth" after a trusted employee stole £90,000 from the business they'd built up over many years of hard work.
Crooked bookkeeper Andrea Cochrane, who worked as a company secretary at East Kilbride-based A Steel & Son Contracts Ltd for more than 30 years, has been sentenced to 28 months in jail.
The callous former employee previously admitted scamming thousands from the family business to fund a £700 a day gambling addiction - despite being treated as a friend of the Steel family, and invited to weddings and birthday parties.
Cochrane, from Bellshill, was back in Hamilton Sheriff Court this week for sentencing after it was postponed from a hearing last month.
The 52-year-old was fired from A Steel & Son Contracts after horrified bosses discovered a string of bogus payments.
An initial debit of £2500 was first queried, before a review discovered £28,000 had been made to an accountancy firm - when it should have only been £10,000.
Following investigations, it was revealed that Cochrane had labelled a series of high value transactions as 'Turner Accountancy' but had used the details of her own account to pocket the cash.
More than 300 transactions were discovered over an 18-month period.
Cochrane admitted embezzling £90,000 between January 2018 and July 2019 and Sheriff John Speir said he was left with no alternative but to hand down a prison sentence.
Amy Steel, who uncovered the fraud, told Lanarkshire Live: "Justice may have been served but the family will never get over this.
"We are in a very precarious position and are hanging on by the skin of our teeth.
"In our eyes she showed no remorse and was calm, not what you would expect someone to be like if they were told they were going to jail.
"She was like a part of the family for 34 years but we never really knew her at all.
"We feared she may never be punished and didn't want to let ourselves believe she would be jailed. Sitting in court was so hard on us all. It's been a complete emotional rollercoaster."
Amy added: "She came to court in December and said she was trying to sell her house to repay funds and was looking to get money from elsewhere - but we were told at sentencing there was no money.
"We believe there never was, she had no intention of paying it back, it was all a ruse so she could get Christmas with her family.
"My husband and I never let ourselves believe we would see the money again. The police made it clear it was unlikely right from the beginning. Every day is a battle for us."
Sentencing Cochrane, Sheriff Speir said her actions involved a "gross breach of trust".
He added: "It has had a significant impact on your former employers and funds have simply not been repaid and it doesn't look like that will ever happen.
"This involved a great deal of planning and premeditation and the harm your actions caused is still being felt and the business carries on by the skin of its teeth.
"I have no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence on you."
Cochrane is facing proceeds of crime action as well as bankruptcy after her former employers launched civil action against her.
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