Ayr car salesman pocketed £15,000

Jun 26 2009

A CROOKED Ayr car salesman told two customers to pay £15,000 in cash for their motors and then high-tailed it to the US with dealer Arnold Clark’s money.

Steven Baillie, 31, told both customers that the swipe system at the company’s Prestwick Road branch was down and they would have to pay by cash before they could collect their cars.

One woman customer turned up with £10,000 and another client handed Baillie £5000, before driving away in their cars unaware that their cash had gone straight into the salesman’s pocket.

Two days later the manager noticed that Baillie was absent from work and there was a discrepancy in the books.

He contacted the two customers, who confirmed they had paid Baillie, of Ayr, cash.

Depute Fiscal, Isobel Vincent told Ayr Sheriff Court last week: “The accused contacted another salesman he knew and told him he was feeling guilty about this and indicated that he wanted to pay the money back.

“Police were contacted and efforts were made to contact the accused, but these proved unsuccessful as he had left the country.”

Solicitor, Quinton Muir, said: “He has connections in the United States and that is where he went in June, 2008, but he took the decision to come back and face the music.”

Baillie admitted embezzling £15,000 from Arnold Clark’s Prestwick Road branch on June 20 last year, while he was employed as a sales assistant.

Jailing Baillie for 168 days – which was reduced from eight months because of his early guilty plea – Sheriff Colin Miller told him: “This is a blatant embezzlement.”

Sentence had been deferred on Baillie for reports and Sheriff Miller noted: “You told the social worker that you recognised an opportunity to make a great deal of money easily.

“In these circumstances there is no alternative left to me but imprisonment.”