A former SNP campaign manager has admitted embezzling £5,000 while he was the chief executive of the HIV Scotland charity.
Nathan Sparling spent the cash on taxi journeys and Amazon purchases including groceries that were delivered to his home between April 2019 and March 2021.
The 35-year-old was allowed to make purchases of up to £50 and any amount over that was said to have needed authorisation.
An internal investigation was launched after a member of staff spotted he had been using charity funds to pay for a large number of taxi journeys.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Sparling, of Bridgeton, Glasgow, spent thousands of pounds on Ubers and on Amazon.
He was suspended from his role at HIV Scotland and then replaced.
Fiscal depute Kirsty McKenzie told the court: ‘During the period, a total of £5,000 was embezzled from the charity.
‘Two thousand pounds was spent on Ubers and £3,000 on Amazon packages that were delivered to his home, including groceries and technical goods. He was never given permission for any of these transactions.’
Nathan Sparling was a former aide to the SNP Culture Secretary Angus Robertson (left)
Sheriff John Cook asked whether Sparling had repaid any of the money and was told by Ms McKenzie that he had not.
A lawyer for Sparling, who is a former aide to the SNP Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, said her client felt a ‘certain amount of complacency’ as he had been working at the charity for a long time and added: ‘He accepts full responsibility.’
She said her client had not been able to repay any of the money to HIV Scotland as it has since been wound up, but would be willing to pay money to a similar charity.
Sheriff Cook bailed Sparling and deferred sentence until next month for the preparation of a social work report.
Sparling was chief executive of the now-defunct healthcare charity between 2018 and 2021, when he resigned.
HIV Scotland was registered as a charity in 2003 with the aim to educate the public about the health of those diagnosed with HIV and related conditions,
A petition to wind up the organisation was presented to the Court of Session in May 2023 after it lost many of its trustees.
Apart from his work for Mr Robertson, Sparling has also performed risqué routines at comedy shows as drag act Nancy Clench.