THE owner of a castle who had to pay £130,000 to couples who had money stolen from them by an employee has said he forgives the culprit.

Dan Pena, 72, said he was "saddened" that a trusted staff member, Craig Williamson, had carried out the two-year fraud at Guthrie Castle, near Forfar.

Williamson was jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting the crime, which he carried out to fund his gambling habit.

Mr Pena said: “I have forgiven him. It screwed things up for us quite a bit. But I stood up and I paid for the losses.

"I’m saddened, but we’re just going to move on.

“The old girl, meaning the castle, has been around over 500 years and I’m sure she’ll be here for another 500 years."

The fraud was uncovered when a bride who had paid thousands of pounds to Williamson turned up at the castle for a final tour before her wedding. In reality, the date had been double booked by Williamson, who fled to Ibiza while telling colleagues he was visiting his father in Glasgow.

Mr Pena told BBC Scoland: “It’s funny in hindsight, being a guy who’s raised three children, it’s kind of like you can’t watch the kids do everything 24 hours a day.

"It’s somebody that I gave control over one thing to do with money and he took advantage of it. But you have to have faith in people."