Man who stole £120,000 from police station jailed

Nov 20 2008

A CIVILIAN worker who stole £120,000 from Hamilton Police Office has been jailed for 22 months.

Robert Moffat (43) buried some of the money in his garden.

He then went on holiday, bought a new bathroom and put down a deposit on a new car.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court, Moffat admitted stealing £120,000 from Hamilton Police Office while he was employed there as a civilian production keeper. He had previously worked for police as a ‘turnkey’.

The offence took place between February 15, 2007, and June 26 of that year.

Sentencing Moffat, Sheriff Joyce Powrie said: “Due to your position of trust, it is inevitable that you face custody. You obviously gave this a lot of thought.”

The court was told that Moffat’s wife died from an illness two years before the theft. His son, then aged 14, passed away a year later after a tragic accident.

He currently lives with his other son, who is 14.

The cash the 43-year-old stole had been seized in a drugs case and left in a holdall at the Campbell Street office.

It took police months to realise the stash was missing.

Two officers arrived at the station on June 26, 2007, to photograph the money but the cash was gone.

A subsequent investigation found that Moffat had gone on a lavish spending spree.

He spent nearly £9000 on a new bathroom, £6250 on a motorbike, £1900 on a holiday and £1000 on a car. He also put £6000 in a bank account.

Moffat paid for the items with £10 and £20 notes, the court was told.

Officers discovered a bag containing £91,405 underneath a slab at his house. They also discovered £1000 cash in his car.

Mark Lunny, defending, said: “Mr Moffat suffered from severe depression following the death of his wife and his son. He had been off ill on a number of occasions and told his superiors that he was not coping with his job. He didn’t think it was appropriate for him to do the job he was doing.

“He had a lack of support from his employers. They did little to address his concerns.”

Mr Lunny added that the production room where Moffat worked “was in disarray”, with not enough room for the items stored there.

Guns and ammunition were being stored together, the lawyer added.

“He just snapped,” said Mr Lunny. “He then took the money that was there.

“He regrets his actions and is embarrassed that he finds himself here today. He is also sorry for the embarrassment this caused for his employers.”

Mr Lunny said Moffat intends to pay back the cash he spent.

He faces civil proceedings to recover the money.

He has, so far, paid nothing back and it is estimated that between £10,000 and £15,000 remains outstanding.

Sheriff Powrie jailed Moffat, of Grampian Crescent, Chapelhall, Airdrie, for 22 months.

The Sheriff said that the sentence would have been 30 months if it had not been for Moffat’ss early guilty plea.

A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said Moffat, who is currently suspended from his job, would now be the subject of Strathclyde Police Support Staff disciplinary procedures.