A hotel manager who stole so much money from the business that it never made a profit and subsequently went under, has been ordered to sell his own home to pay back the cash.

Andrew Cole admitted taking £44,000 from the Farleyer House Hotel in Weem near Aberfeldy in Perthshire but was originally charged with embezzling nearly £200,000.

He was given four months to pay back the sum by Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday (20 April) and the case will be reviewed later this year.

Sheriff Robert McCreadie warned Cole that he may still face a jail term even if he pays the full amount back by 9 August.

Cole’s house is valued at £163,000 and the Crown has served him with proceeds of crime papers demanding the return of the full £191,689. 

By Alix Young

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