AN ASSISTANT manager of a Dunfermline builders' merchants embezzled £1,800 to pay off drugs debts he had run up.

Christopher Ayres had turned to cocaine and alcohol after the break up of a relationship and stole the cash from his employers to try and pay money he owed.

He appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court after previously admitting that between May 25, 2015 and November 14, 2015, he embezzled the money from Keyline Builders Merchants on the Pitreavie Business Park while he was employed there as an assistant branch manager.

Depute fiscal Jane Rennie said Ayres, 41, was responsible for sales, stock taking and cash handling as part of his role.

It had been brought to the attention of one of the managers that the banking was not tallying up properly and an investigation was started.

"Throughout the investigation it was established that the common denominator of who was on shift when the money was going missing was the accused," said Ms Rennie,

"He was questioned by the manager and asked about the money and he admitted taking the money over a period of time due to financial difficulties and the matter was reported to the police."

Defence solicitor Jonathan Matheson-Dear said Ayres, now of Watchermull Crescent, Clydebank, had a number of personal problems at the time.

He had separated from his then partner before the offence took place and was homeless for a period of time and was staying in bed and breakfasts.

"He moved to Blairhall and found the separation difficult to cope with and started to resort to dependency on drugs including class A drug cocaine," he said.

"He started to get into debt and was pilfering money from his employers with the intention of paying back what he owed to pay for his drugs.

"He did put some money back but was taking more again and it accumulated to £1800 in total.

"He felt shame for having behaved despicably and breaking the trust of his employers. He accepts this was a deplorable breach of trust.

"He was extremely depressed and he was worried about his financial predicament and allowed himself to get into debt. The behaviour was out of character albeit over a significant period of time."

Mr Matheson-Dear added that Ayres had now managed to put his life "back in order" and had stable accommodation, a long term relationship, full time employment and was no longer abusing illicit drugs or alcohol.

Sheriff Michael Fletcher said the Court always treated seriously cases where someone in a position of trust had embezzled money.

He added: "You are a person who has a very minor record and you are more or less a first offender and this is now an offence which is relatively elderly.

"I am prepared to deal with this by means of a non custodial sentence."

He placed Ayres on a community payback order with the requirements of supervision for 20 months, doing 150 hours of unpaid work within nine months and paying his former employers compensation of £1,800.