School worker jailed for stealing £28,000 from funds set aside for pupil trips

A primary school worker who “abused her position” to embezzle more than £28,000 of school funds has been jailed.

Jane Duncan, an administrative officer at Mill O’Mains Primary in Dundee, used the money to finance her own lifestyle – buying PlayStation games, supermarket goods, beauty products and homewares.

The 54-year-old carried out the crime between 2016 and 2019, misusing money from a Government procurement card to make her own purchases.

More than £14,000 of what she stole had been set aside for school trips paid for by parents.

Duncan ran the school office and had responsibility for banking incoming money to pay for the trips.

The Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Fund money is used to top up these funds for pupils unable to pay in full.

Her scheme was uncovered in 2019 when a Dundee City Council accountant noticed the school had not recorded finances for its breakfast clubs.

A subsequent investigation found almost £14,000 of parents’ contributions towards two school trips was unaccounted for.

One of these was for a residential trip to Ardeonaig on Loch Tay, the other was for a visit to Dalguise Outdoor Centre in Perthshire.

At Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday, Duncan was jailed for 16 months, having earlier pled guilty to a single charge of embezzlement.

Helen Nisbet, procurator fiscal for Tayside, said: “Jane Duncan used her position to help herself to cash paid by parents and then used public funds intended to support children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to cover her tracks.

“She abused her position to use their money for her own benefit.

“Let the public be assured that we take such financial criminality extremely seriously.

“Those who commit this type of offending will be dealt with robustly by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”