A MANAGER siphoned off £20,000 from the charity he worked for which contributed to its financial collapse.

Edward McGregor, 48, pleaded guilty to embezzling the cash from Skillnet, a charity helping ethnic minority people to get employment, between July 2006 and August 2012.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday he was placed under supervision on a community payback order for 18 months and will have to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work within 12 months after a court heard he had repaid the money.

He had promised Sheriff Kenneth Maciver QC, in August last year, he would pay back the money within six months.

The sheriff had told him if that happened, he would not impose a custodial sentence.