An Edinburgh office manager who embezzled nearly £20,000 from a mental health charity to fund his drink and drug addiction has been ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Lochhead stole the cash from his charity employers while working at the Edinburgh office after racking up a £20,000 drug debt.

The 30-year-old, from the city’s Leith area, pleaded guilty to the offence at a hearing earlier this year and returned to the dock for sentencing on Thursday.

Lawyer Peter O’Neill, defending, said his client had paid back more than £18,000 of the money he embezzled and was now substance free after addressing his alcohol and drug issues.

Mr O’Neill said: “He is fully aware of what he done was incredibly foolish and he abused the trust of the people that had put faith in him.

“He is trying to make positive changes since this incident and he views this incident as something of a line in the sand.

“This is an incident that has led to a change and his family are very disappointed in him.”

Sheriff Frank Gill said: “You have pled guilty to a very serious offence and have committed a grave breach of trust.

“It is aggravated by the fact your then-employer was a charity.”

The sheriff said the offence had met the custody threshold but stepped back from that and instead ordered Lochhead to carry out the maximum term of 300 hours of unpaid work.

Lochhead pled guilty to embezzling £19,217.05 while employed as an assistant finance manager with the Scottish Action for Mental Health charity between November 17 and 20, 2023.