Former Edinburgh nursery manager avoids jail after embezzling more than £8000 from her employers

An Edinburgh nursery school manager who embezzled more than £8000 from her employers has avoided a jail sentence.

Tessa Hamilton, 35, stole child care payments made by parents while working as the manager of the Strawberry Hill Nursery in Edinburgh over an 18 month period.

Hamilton discovered a loophole in the school’s payment system and began siphoning off payments and transferring the cash into her own bank account.

The manager, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, was eventually caught out after leaving her position and financial “irregularities” were uncovered by the nursery’s management.

Hamilton appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing on Tuesday, April 16 after previously admitting to embezzling £8062 between January 1, 2016 and August 16, 2017.

Solicitor Richard Souter, defending, said his client had “never been in trouble before or since” and she was “hoping her family would step in and help pay back the sum but that position is still unclear”.  

Sheriff Gillian Sharp told Hamilton: “This was a very significant breach of trust while you were in a position of responsibility and that had repercussions for others.

“The custody threshold has been met given the sum involved and taken over a significant period of time but I am going to impose an alternative to custody.”

Hamilton was placed on a community payback order where she will have to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work in the community to be completed over the next 18 months.

Previously the court was told Hamilton was employed as manager of Strawberry Hill Nursery in Newington, Edinburgh, and left her employment in August 2017.

Fiscal depute Peter Finnon said an area manager took over the running of the school and “a number of [financial] irregularities became apparent”.

Mr Finnon said: “The first being an invoice from Edinburgh Leisure in relation to a sum of approximately £3000.

“A balance had been outstanding of £3072 but Ms Hamilton had been paying a direct debit from her personal bank account.

“This led to an audit of all cash payments coming into Strawberry Hill at that time and Ms Hamilton was the only person responsible for handling and banking cash.”

The fiscal said Hamilton had worked out a flaw in the nursery payment system by creating a second account to “disguise the lack of payment” when parents paid cash upfront for childcare.

Mr Finnon added: “Ms Hamilton was questioned about this by Strawberry Hill themselves but could not provide any information in relation to the irregularities.

“When questioned by police she provided a no comment interview.”

Strawberry Hill Nursery has since changed its name to Corner House Nursery The Grange and is owned by Thrive Childcare and Education who operate 24 nursery schools in Scotland.

Thrive Childcare and Education has been contacted for comment.