A lawyer who embezzled £7,000 from his own firm has been jailed for ten months.
Leo McGarvey, 54, embezzled the money from RGM Solicitors in Grangemouth between 2011 and 2017.
McGarvey, from Airdrie, took the cash payments from at least eight clients but failed to put them through the firm’s books.
He was handed the jail sentence at Falkirk Sheriff Court after having pled guilty at a hearing last month.
McGarvey’s actions were uncovered after he went on long-term sick leave in 2017.
The firm called in police to investigate after the financial discrepancies came to light.
Addressing the court, Procurator Fiscal Sineidin Corrins said it was important for the public to have trust in the legal profession.
She said: “This individual embezzled a sum from his employers which also impacted on the members of the public involved.
“It’s essential that people have faith in solicitors to act with honesty and integrity. COPFS take criminality of this nature very seriously. We will use all the powers available to us to prosecute those who would use their professional position for criminal gain.
“COPFS is committed to working with criminal justice partners to combat financial crime.”
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