THE treasurer of a Rangers boys club that Barry Ferguson was scouted from is facing jail after she used the team's books to launder £55,000 from the company she worked for.

 

Margaret Stewart, 47, who worked in the accounts department of Ivanhoe Cambridge UK, a Canadian firm, pocketed cash from her employers.

Over a three year period Stewart used cheques signed by bosses who believed they were going to legitimate payees to take money.

Stewart is the treasurer of the Rangers Supporters Association Boys Club, that has seen likes of Barry Ferguson and Lee McCulloch come through the team before becoming professionals.

She paid the cheques into the club's account before taking it for herself. Stewart, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to embezzling money between May 2008 and January 2011.

The court was told that Stewart had bosses at Ivanhoe Cambridge sign cheques that were supposed to be used to make legitimate payments and would instead write over the payee name and insert the football team's name.

The money would then go to the club before Stewart took it for herself.

But, her crime came to light when a bank spotted a problem with one of the cheques from Ivanhoe Cambridge and phoned her office.

Stewart then immediately confessed to her superiors what she had done and a payment plan was put in place for her to repay the money.

Although more than £5000 was repaid, the plan was not completed and her house was put on the market but due to Japanese Knotweed the house was rendered worthless.

The police were then contacted and she was reported. Sheriff Linda Ruxton will sentence Stewart next month and her bail has been continued.

The Rangers Supporters Association Boys Club was founded in 1960 for boys between five and 17 years old.

It has seen many players over the years who have gone on to make it as professional footballers.

Barry Ferguson was scouted from the club and other players who have made it as professionals include Graham Dorrans and Charlie Miller.