Fife charity boss who stole £40k from vulnerable residents banned from care sector

A Fife charity boss who stole £40,000 from vulnerable residents has been banned from the care sector.

Violet Connor, 68, made excessive cash withdrawals from the personal bank accounts of service users at Sense Scotland and falsified the books for more than three years.

Connor, of Lady Alice Path, Glenrothes, stole from 10 residents at two of the charity’s facilities and later told bosses she had “dwindled” the money away.

She was sacked by the charity in November 2022.

Onlookers applauded as Connor was jailed for one year at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in June.

Fife charity boss banned from care sector after stealing from vulnerable residents

After an investigation, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has now banned her from working in the care sector.

The SSSC report said: “The damage done to your own reputation is irreparable.

“You abused the trust that was placed in you as a manager for financial gain and this behaviour falls at the more serious end of the scale of seriousness.

“If repeated, such behaviour could cause serious financial harm to service users and their families.”

Connor was working as a manager of Sense Scotland Supported Living in Fife at the time.

The charity issued a statement following her sentencing in June.

Sense Scotland ‘committed to repaying all funds’

It said: “We became aware of financial irregularities in the finances of a small number of individuals supported in two of our services in October 2022.

“We immediately undertook a financial audit of the services and reported our findings to the police and other relevant authorities and regulatory bodies, working closely with these bodies to assist with their inquiries.

“Following an internal investigation, the staff member responsible for these irregularities was dismissed by Sense Scotland in November 2022.

“Shortly after this, Sense Scotland spoke with families and guardians of the individuals affected and committed to repaying all funds.”