Stephanni Houston, 41, of Ayr, was sentenced to 38 months in prison in November 2023 for embezzling over £516,000 from two construction companies over four years.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court made a confiscation order in the sum of £81,589.86 and recorded that the benefit of criminal conduct was £516,268.98.

The confiscation order can be revisited if further assets are identified in the future to be paid towards the full amount that was determined as the benefit of the crime.

Houston, also known as Bryden, was convicted at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after she admitted embezzling £253,281.30 while working as an office administrator at Kelburn Construction in Kilmarnock from February 2017 to January 2019.

Months later she started embezzling £262,987.68 while working as a bookkeeper for WM Donnelly and Co Ltd in East Kilbride, taking the cash between May 2019, and March 2021.

A compensation order in the sum of £41,610.83 was awarded to Wm Donnelly and Co Ltd. A second compensation order in the sum of £39,979.03, was awarded to Kelburn Construction.

Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Serious Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “This confiscation underscores the fact that prosecution of those involved in financial crime does not stop at criminal conviction and sentencing.

“Even after that conviction was secured, the Crown pursued Proceeds of Crime action to ensure the funds Stephanni Houston obtained illegally were confiscated.

“Confiscation orders have ongoing financial consequences, meaning we can seek to recover further assets from this individual in the future to reflect the full amount.”