11:06 am, June 30, 2023
A supercar dealership owner has denied a string of charges relating to fraud and stealing customers’ Porsches.
Andrew Mearns, who ran Knaresborough-based Gmund Cars, appeared at York Crown Court, pictured, yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to the 16 charges against him, which are said to date between 2015 and 2020.
He faces 13 charges of fraud for personal gain against customers, reported the Yorkshire Post. They include one of undertaking work other than agreed.
Mearns, who now lives in Wales, also faces three charges of stealing a Porsche.
He is accused of stealing a £130,000 Porsche 356 in 2019 that belonged to Adrian Pyrah, a £160,000 Porsche Turbo in 2018 that belonged to John Hebson, and a £65,000 Porsche 911 Carrera in 2018, the owner of which wasn’t named.
Other victims of Mearns named in court were David Bell, Robert Hayes, Matthew Lancaster, Anthony Place, John Reeder, Matthew Saphier, Marcus Singh and Peter Whitby, said the Post.
The trial is expected to involve 25 witnesses and last three weeks, meaning it needs to be heard at a larger court yet to be decided.
Mearns, 54, who has been declared bankrupt, was given unconditional bail until the trial.
Gmund Cars was run by him from 2006 until it was dissolved in June 2020. It specialised in modifying and selling classic models.
Main image via Google Street View
