A GREEDY mum who cooked the books at Thomas Cook – and embezzled £140,000 to fund a jet-set lifestyle – has been granted a temporary reprieve.

Alicia Moran swiped so many US dollars, Euros and Sterling notes from the travel agent she was accused of helping herself to nearly £250,000.

The mother-of-two discovered a loophole allowing her to take as much money as she wanted while the accounts showed nothing was missing.

The swiped cash funded trips to Florida, New York, Las Vegas, Spain, Euro Disney and Lapland and she tried to offer colleagues probing her a handbag full of notes when rumbled.

But her whole scheme crash-landed after colleagues contacted the police – leading to Moran being arrested at Glasgow Airport after touching down following a trip to New York and Las Vegas.

Moran, 33, who could be jailed for up to five years, was due to be sentenced at Paisley Sheriff Court this week and took a bag with her, seemingly expecting to be jailed.

But sentencing was deferred further after the court heard she has been unable to reach an agreement with Thomas Cook about repaying the cash – because their lawyer couldn’t be contacted.

Defence solicitor Terry Gallanagh explained: “She has had contact with Thomas Cook regarding efforts for repayment but these have not been finalised as the solicitor dealing with it is not available until next week.”

The lawyer said a payment plan being agreed may strengthen her bid to dodge jail over the botched scheme.

He also said the proceedings against Moran had made her realise she may have been suffering from Bipolar disorder before, during and after conning Thomas Cook.

But he insisted she was not using that as an excuse for why she committed the offence, adding: “She accepts her responsibility.”

Sheriff David Pender agreed to defer sentence further for medical investigations and discussions between Thomas Cook and Moran and adjourned the case for that to be done.

Moran was a Foreign Exchange Sales Consultant at the Braehead Shopping Centre branch of Thomas Cook between February 2, 2015, and August 25 that year.

During that time she processed 140 currency transactions for free, overriding the computer systems so the tills balanced.

She used the cash to go on five holidays, and pay off her own debt and that of her partner and his mum.

Moran, of Greenock, pleaded guilty to embezzling £140,000 after the sum was reduced from £241,248.

When Moran admitted her guilt last month, Mr Gallanagh said Moran, a single mum to her 16-year-old and eight-year-old children and full-time carer for her gran, had capitalised on a better exchange rate she received as a perk for being a Thomas Cook employee.

He explained: “This got very much out of control. She started with close family and friends and the matter escalated to pretty much half of Greenock coming to Miss Moran and getting their holiday money. The money was paid [to her] but she did not immediately return it and kept it.

“They say, ‘Don’t just book it, Thomas Cook it’ - she booked it and cooked the books.

“She regrets her conduct and she is under no illusion about what is befalling her.”