A thieving bakery manager stole almost £3k from her bosses -- by smuggling the money in takeaway pie bags. 

Anne Loughray embezzled thousands of pounds by exploiting her company's method of banking. 

The former shop manager was sacked after stealing the money during a six-month period after putting herself in charge of the company's cashflow operation. 

Greenock Sheriff Court heard it was procedure at Aulds Bakery to put takings into paper bags used for selling pies and other goods to customers. 

It would then be transported by bus to be deposited at a Post Office Girobank. 

Loughray, 54, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, who pled not guilty, claimed she had "lost" £2,995 in just one day. 

But prosecutors said she had in fact been siphoning money off for months before bosses at the Greenock based company spotted the discrepancies. 

Money was supposed to be banked daily but it was apparently common for it to build up over several days due to a lack of time to leave the shop. 

Loughray never mentioned the disappearing cash and at one point claimed she had suffered ill health before losing the money on the way to the bank. 

The angina sufferer said she placed a number of paper bags containing shop takings into a plastic Aulds carrier before taking a bus at Gourock which was heading to Greenock. 

But she could not remember where she left the money or even what day she left it. 

Procurator fiscal depute Lindy Scaife remarked: "It's not exactly the most high security way in which to transport money." 

Loughray replied: "That's just the way Aulds did it." 

The court heard that the company put each day's takings in the same paper bags they used to serve cakes and pastries and wrote individual totals on the outside with marker pen. 

Loughray claimed the cash vanished some time between October 23 and November 3 2014 when Gourock Post Office was closed and she had to travel by bus to Greenock. 

But Detective Constable Sharon Crawford told the court how a cross-reference check showed none of the individual totals which had been due to be banked that day matched the amount that was missing. 

Loughray was around £900 in debt for council tax and rent arrears and also had a credit card bill at the time the money disappeared. 

But despite her financial troubles she claimed she used £1,000 of her own money to try to cover up losing the shop's takings. 

Ms Scaife then pointed out there was still £2,995 outstanding when Aulds' accounts department found the hole in shop finances in January 2015. 

Loughray said: "I took my money back out because I needed it. 

"I put it in because I was panicking." 

Ms Scaife said: "Several things about the loss of the money just don't add up." 

Loughray replied: "I take offence at that. You don't know me." 

Defence agent Ellen Macdonald described Aulds' banking methods were "basic and somewhat slack". 

Sheriff Derek Hamilton found Loughray guilty of embezzling the money between the time that she was appointed as shop boss in August 2014 and January 2015 

He said: "It seems to me that if someone lost nearly £3,000 then the date would be etched on their memory. 

"I don't find the accused credible at all in any of her explanations and she appeared to be thinking on her feet under questioning." 

Sentence has been deferred until September 7 for a background report.