Scrap firm’s former employee jailed for embezzlement

A scrap metal merchant office worker who embezzled nearly £800,000 from her employers has been jailed for more than two years.

Jennifer Conquer transferred huge sums of cash into her own bank account while working as an admin assistant with Brookfield Metals Recycling in Linlithgow, West Lothian.

The devious employee made more than 1200 payments from the scrap metal firm’s bank account totalling £798, 743.23 over a period between 2017 and 2021.

39-year-old Conquer splashed out on luxury vehicles, lavished gifts on her friends and family and used the stolen cash to pay for every day living expenses.

She also paid more than £25,000 into the account of her twin sister Hazel Dryburgh who despite knowing the money was stolen treated herself to two Land Rovers with personalised number plates.

Conquer, of Inverkeithing, Fife. was caught out after bosses at Brookfield carried out an investigation when an irregular invoice and payment was flagged up and the police were subsequently called in to investigate.

She pleaded guilty to embezzling £798,743.23 while employed with Brookfield Metals Recycling Ltd, part of Dalton’s Demotions Ltd, between June 2017 and September 2021 at a court hearing last month.

Dryburgh, of Blackridge, West Lothian, pled guilty to a charge of receiving a quantity of money obtained through criminal acts and use it for personal gain between December 2020 and June 2021.

The twin sisters returned to the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing yesterday. (THU)

Sheriff Fergus Thomson said: “Having considered all alternative disposals I have concluded in your case Ms Conquer there is no method of disposal other than custody is appropriate here.”

The sheriff sentenced Conquer to a total custodial term of 117 weeks.

Dryburgh had a community payback order imposed where she will be supervised for 18 months and must carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

Solicitor Richard Soutar, for Conquer, said his client was a mother of two and her offending while employed at the scrap metal firm had “started off small but had escalated”.

Mr Soutar said the social work report stated she was “a low risk of reoffending” and she had “admitted everything to the police at the earliest opportunity”.

Advocate Gillian Simpson, for Dryburgh, said her client worked with a construction company and  “deeply regrets taking the money” from her sister.

Previously the court heard Conquer started at Brookfield Metals as admin assistant in 2016 and her role included having full access to the company’s computer system.

An internal company investigation was conducted following suspicions over an irregular invoice and payment made by Conquer in September 2021

Fiscal depute Clare Green said: “Staff members started to look at customer records created and processed at Brookfield Metals Recycling Ltd.

“It was at this time they uncovered a high volume of payments had been made to two particular bank accounts which belonged to the accused.”

Conquer then cut off contact with her employers and “ignored any attempted correspondence from her employer”.

A police probe saw Conquer’s employment records and wage slips seized and it was found hundreds of payments totalling £760,723.50 had been paid into two of her own bank accounts.

Further payments from the company’s account into Monzo bank accounts belonging to Conquer and Dryburgh, 39, were also found.

Ms Green said: “Banking warrants were sought and executed in relation to each account and the statements were analysed. 

“The statements showed that Jennifer Conquer had used the embezzled funds to make various purchases including every day items, gifts for friends and family and luxury motor vehicles.”

The court heard the bank statements also showed Conquer had made two payments of £12,645 and £12,870 into her sister’s bank account between December 2020 and June 2021.

The fiscal added: “Further police enquiry found that these monies were used to purchase two vehicles with personalised registration plates, a Land Rover Evoke Ranger and a Land Rover Discovery Sport.

“The combined loss to Dalton’s Demolitions Ltd [was] £798,743.23.”