A GAMBLING addict who stole more than £40,000 from a Scottish university has been jailed for a year.

David Mawson, 51, worked as a cashier at the University of the West of Scotland's campus in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.

At Hamilton Sheriff Court he admitted embezzling money he collected from the library, leisure centre, catering and registry departments.

Discrepancies in the cash received emerged during internal audits.

The court heard that Mawson, from Kirkintilloch, worked at Bell College in Hamilton for six years before he was caught stealing.

He was responsible for arranging for funds to be picked up by an outside security firm.

The college merged with Paisley University in 2007 to create the University of the West of Scotland.

A series of internal audits before and after the merger set alarm bells ringing and revealed a major shortfall in cash.

At an earlier hearing Mawson admitted to stealing a total of £43,746.

Depute fiscal Louise Beattie said: "In August 2007 Bell College merged with the University of Paisley and an audit was carried out. Discrepancies in the cash were then noticed

"A member of staff spoke to the accused about this and he admitted to having a gambling addiction and that he had taken a large amount of money from the college."

A spokesman for the University of the West of Scotland declined to comment.