The former superintendent of an Edinburgh cemetery has admitted a fraudulent scheme to mis-sell burial plots.

William Henderson, of Loanhead in Midlothian, claimed he was selling special plots to families at Mount Vernon cemetery in the south of Edinburgh.

The burial deeds had been created fraudulently and some burials took place in the wrong locations within the cemetery.

Henderson obtained more than £14,000 from 13 victims in this way over a period of almost ten years.

In two cases "overburials" took place, where remains were lowered into graves that were already occupied.

One victim paid him £6500, with another paying £1100.

His scheme came to light in 2013 when irregularities were discovered in a number of burial ledgers. He was charged in November 2016.

Henderson, 46, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

He admitted a charge of fraud in relation to the selling of burial plots at the Liberton cemetery between 2006 and 2015.

Sheriff Donald Corke granted bail ahead of sentencing on September 29.

A woman whose mother was buried in a plot sold by Henderson told STV News his actions were "despicable".

Rose Walker, who died aged 85 in 2015, was laid to rest in a plot that had been sold for £400 by Henderson.

Mrs Walker's daughter, Dot Fraser, said their family had not initially realised she had been buried in the wrong location.

It later became clear her mother had been buried under a footpath of the cemetery where bodies should not have been placed.

Ms Frazer said: "He must have been looking at us and seeing opportunities for money.

"He was looking at grieving families and seeing pound signs."

Police said Henderson had "exploited" the grieving families for his own profit.

Detective chief inspector Paul Grainger, who led the investigation, said: "William Henderson targeted vulnerable families when they were grieving and distressed.

"His deception and exploitation led to Henderson amassing thousands of pounds from these families which he hid from his employers.

"This was a challenging and complex investigation from the beginning and involved officers having to engage with families who had been defrauded by Henderson over a number of years."

He added: "In many of these occasions they had to relive very painful memories and discuss the deaths of loved ones and so we took a very sensitive approach so we could provide them with all the support and assistance they required, while conducting our inquiries to gather evidence."

The Catholic Church, which employed Henderson, said it was supporting the families affected.

Dr Elspeth Atkinson, chief operating officer of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said his crimes were "shocking".

She said: "Willie Henderson's criminal behaviour betrayed the trust of his employer, the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh, from whom he stole from.

"But, much more importantly and distressingly, he betrayed the trust of those families who were exploited at a time when they were grieving and vulnerable.

"That's why his crimes are so shocking and that's why we are grateful to Police Scotland for working so diligently over the past two years in order to bring Henderson to justice."

She added: "The Archdiocese deeply regrets the criminal activities of Willie Henderson and has been working hard over the past months, in close collaboration with Police Scotland, to offer both pastoral and practical support to those families affected by his actions and we will, of course, continue to do so in the months to come."