A pregnant Scottish executive who worked for Manchester City has been jailed after stealing more than £100,000 from the club to pay for her wedding.
Fiona Barclay, 33, worked in business development for the Premier League club within its hospitality division, earning up to £30,000 each year. But Barclay, who now lives in Falkirk after leaving Manchester, is now behind bars after she was caught swindling cash.
After her fraud was discovered, she told cops she had used the ill-gotten gains to pay for her wedding and to spoil her husband and family with gifts. Barclay wept as she was told she was being sent to prison, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Barclay was rumbled after accountants flagged a suspicious £25,000 refund in March 2021. Prosecutor Ellen Shaw told the court the refund had caused concerns "by the fact it was a large round number".
When Barclay was questioned she said it was an "error" and apologised, before admitting that £15,000 of the cash had been deposited in her own bank account, which she then paid back. However, Man City bosses performed a deep dive and discovered she had been siphoning off cash for two years beforehand.
The 33-year-old then admitted that she had used the money to pay for "various parts of her wedding" and "gifts for her husband and family". She admitted a charge of fraud by abuse of position.
Defending, Patrick Buckley asked for Barclay to be spared a prison sentence. He added that she had moved from Scotland to take the job and had since become isolated.
He said: "It seems that being hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home, isolated and lonely, solace was sought in retail therapy. The problem was that the retail therapy was at the expense of her employer."
Mr Buckley further added that Barclay was "utterly disgusted with herself". He continued: "There is nothing in terms of reason or logical reason why she did what she did. It must have been inevitable that she would eventually be caught."
The executive has found a new job with a travel firm since being sacked by City, and her lawyer added that she had tried to contact City to arrange repayment of the cash she stole, without success. Mr Buckley concluded: "Whatever lesson needs to be taught has thoroughly been taught."
Recorder Ciaran Rankin, presiding, sent Barclay to jail. He told her: "This is a tragedy. You have thrown so much away because of your dishonesty, and, I'm afraid, pure greed."
The judge continued: "You were employed in a good job, as a business development manager at Manchester City. Ultimately that was a job with some responsibility."
He added that relegation was not a word associated with City, but that she had "relegated" herself: "I'm afraid you have relegated yourself because of your greed and deception into the ranks of those who can no longer call themselves a person of good character. Despite everything that has been said on your behalf, there can only be an immediate custodial sentence."
Sending her down, he added: "With great regret, Ms Barclay, please go with the officer."
Barclay, of Drum Farm Lane, Falkirk, will serve half of the 18-month sentence in prison. The 33-year-old will also be the subject of an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to discover whether any of the money can be clawed back.
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