7:56 am, April 25, 2023
A woman has been accused of stealing more than £450,000 from a car dealership in Northern Ireland.
Norma Smith, of Duncrun Road, Limavady, was charged with stealing the money from car dealership Edwin May Ltd, which has locations in Portadown, Coleraine and Ballymena.
She is accused of abusing her position at the dealership over a seven-year period between January 5, 2012 and November 6, 2019.
Smith, 48, first appeared in court last September, after she was accused of theft and fraud amounting to £195,961.
She appeared again at Antrim Crown Court via video link in October 2022 when her defence told the court she accepted the ‘principal allegation of dishonesty’ but added it was the ‘quantum that’s the issue’, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
However, the figure has since more than doubled to £437,824.61 following a forensic accountant investigation.
It is also alleged that she had accessed company accounts for a further £18,578.86 and used the money to pay personal invoices and finance repayments on her car.
This brings the total to £456,403.47 but Smith has said she denies all charges.
A report from a forensic accountant will be received next week, containing more detail of the impact on the dealership.
The Irish News reports that Judge Alistair Devlin has scheduled a review of the case in two weeks.
Edwin May Ltd is part of the Roadside Motors group, which has new and used car dealerships across Northern Ireland.
Image credit: Edwin May Volkswagen Coleraine/Google Maps
