THE owner of Fa’side Castle has had his sentence for stealing from a charity deferred to later this year.

Ian Brash, 66, stole more than £350,000 from the student charity the Dr Robert Malcolm Trust while he was a trustee of the organisation.

He pleaded guilty to the offence at a court hearing last year and is awaiting sentencing.

The hold-up in the case has been Brash’s inability to sell the listed castle on the outskirts of Tranent so he can pay the charity back before sentence is passed.

But last Friday, Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that the sale of the castle, currently on the market for offers over £1.9m, had still not materialised.

Sheriff Frank Crowe was also told that the forensic accountant employed by the Crown to go through all Brash’s finances had taken ill and would need replaced.

Sheriff Crowe allowed the Crown motion to further defer sentence to allow them more time to delve into Brash’s finances.

The case will now call again for sentencing on November 22.

Brash pleaded guilty last year to embezzling £358,832 from the Dr Robert Malcolm Trust charity between August 12, 2010, and September 10, 2014.

The father-of-two is currently selling the historic Category A-Listed Fa’side Castle, a 15th-century four-storey castle with six bedrooms, four reception rooms and a great hall, through a leading Edinburgh estate agent for offers over £1.9 million.