Ex-charity boss jailed for embezzling £54k from Scottish Jewish hardship fund
Court told Catherine Bell ran ‘calculated and cunning’ five-year fraud while in senior role at Jewish Care Scotland
A former director of Jewish Care Scotland has been jailed for 18 months after embezzling more than £54,000 from the charity’s hardship fund.
Catherine Bell, 70, admitted to stealing the money between 2013 and 2018 by falsely claiming it was going to families in need. As deputy chief executive and director of social care, she exploited her position to authorise payments she kept for herself.
Bell appeared for sentencing at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday. Sheriff Brian Mohan condemned her actions as “a calculated and cunning campaign”, adding: “People had no doubt donated to that charity. Your actions would have caused reputational damage.”
The fraud was uncovered in 2018 when the charity’s chief executive, Julie Marshall, launched a routine staff compliance review and discovered Bell was not registered with the Scottish Social Services Council. An internal investigation followed.
As reported by the Scottish Daily Record, prosecutor Jason Stark told the court that Bell regularly applied for hardship grants of up to £70 each for four families she referred to as “the usual four”. In reality, none received a penny.
An audit later confirmed she had syphoned off £54,435 from the fund. Bell’s lawyer said she had struggled with alcohol addiction at the time and made “a grievous error of judgement” but was now sober and remorseful.
Jewish Care Scotland, based in Giffnock, serves the country’s Jewish community and is not affiliated with Jewish Care in England. It is funded through donations, legacies and public grants.
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