Sin Bin: Aberdeen oil finance executive admits £1.3m embezzlement

Jacqueline McPhie, 46, took the money while vice president for finance at Altus Intervention between March 2013 and April 2014.

Her fraud – which her own husband knew nothing about – only came to light when she used cash to buy two properties in Aberdeen and Stonehaven.

Her husband, Roderick McPhie, is the sole director of the contractor’s firm, which supplies equipment for North Sea projects, but McPhie had “full access” to the bank accounts and was a signatory to them.

He had no idea about her crimes, and the court heard the couple are embroiled in a divorce battle.

Yesterday McPhie, who now lives in a caravan with her parents in Arbroath, admitted embezzling the cash at the High Court in Edinburgh and was warned she faces jail.

The court heard McPhie siphoned off money from her employers to fund her lifestyle, despite being paid a salary of more than £145,000 a year by Altus,.

Alison Di Rollo, prosecuting, said McPhie, who worked as as vice-president for finance at the company, bought an £80,000 Range Rover, and spent more than £60,000 on a new garage and driveway, £52,000 on a kitchen and £30,000 on a summer house in her garden.

More was spent on foreign holidays and designer clothes.

Ms Di Rollo told the court that McPhie had full “oversight” over the company’s finances and had the trust of her employers.

The court heard that Altus had managed to recover more than £238,000 from McPhie.

Judge Lady Wise said: “You have pleaded guilty to extremely serious offences.”

McPhie had previously been given 300 hours of community service 16 years ago for stealing £250,000 from previous employers.

Sentence was deferred to 31 May for background reports.