Social worker embezzled £26,000 from council

A social worker who admitted embezzling £26,700 from her employer could be jailed for up to five years and be removed from the register.

Jacqueline Powell, 56, who worked for South Ayrshire Council, admitted the charge at Ayr Sheriff Court this week. She was freed on bail and will be sentenced on 19 April.

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council refused to comment on reports that Powell embezzled the money from the authority’s funds, intended for vulnerable adults with mental health problems.

The money disappeared between April 2008 and March 2010, according to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Social Services Council said Powell, who has moved to Liverpool, would face a conduct hearing after sentencing.

Powell has been placed under a one-year suspension order while the regulator carries out inquiries. She could be banned permanently if a committee of experts decides she has committed misconduct.

Under Scottish law, the offence of embezzlement carries a maximum jail sentence of five years, but this can be extended in some circumstances.

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