8:45 am, May 30, 2023
The owner of a supercar dealership in North Yorkshire has appeared in court charged with multiple counts of fraud totalling more than £1m.
Andrew Mearns is alleged to have committed the offences at his business, Gmund Cars in Knaresborough, between August 2016 and March 2019.
The 54-year-old appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on May 26, where he confirmed his name and address.
He did not enter pleas to the 16 counts of fraud by false representation, reported news service The Stray Ferret.
Sixteen victims were named in the charges, with the biggest single fraud reported to be worth £220,000.
Harrogate magistrates said Mearns would face trial at York Crown Court because the case was too serious for them to deal with.
His first appearance is set for June 26.
Mearns, of Colwyn Place, Llandudno, owned Gmund Cars from its incorporation in 2006 to its dissolution in 2020.
The business, which was based at the Nidd Valley Business Park, Knaresborough, was a classic Porsche specialist.
First published: May 27, 07:46, Updated: May 30, 08:45
