The former head of a students’ association who admitted swindling the organisation out of £16,000 has had her sentencing postponed after it was claimed she did not accept her guilt.
Last month Jacqueline Williams, 49, pled guilty to taking the cash while employed as the chief executive of Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA).
Sentence was previously deferred for a social work report to be prepared, but yesterday William’s solicitor said he was standing down from the case, explaining the mitigating circumstances discussed with Williams were “not consistent with the plea of guilty”.
Addressing Williams directly, Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill said: “When I read the whole charge to you, you accepted you were pleading guilty to a charge of producing false invoices, submitting them and committing fraud to the value of £16,000.
“In the report you don’t seem to accept your guilt, is that right?”
Williams replied: “Not really.”
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Sheriff Gill said: “There’s no ‘not really’ about it. You’re an educated lady – you know exactly what you pled guilty to.”
The sheriff added: “I’ll continue this matter for seven days for you to instruct a new solicitor.”
Williams, whose address was given in court papers as Dollar, Clackmannanshire, joined AUSA – which is an independent charity representing students and raising cash for local causes – in June 2014.
She was also involved with the £10 million project to build a new student union for the university during her time in Aberdeen.
After the allegations came to light in early 2016, the university confirmed she was no longer working there.
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