A Co Down businessman has been accused of defrauding more than a dozen people of cash and motorhomes worth over £400,000.
Lancelot William Walker (60) is charged with 16 offences alleged to have been committed between August 2005 and August 2008.
Walker, of Ballynahinch Road in Carryduff, is a former director of a motorhomes firm which was liquidated in 2010.
He appeared today at Banbridge Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Newry, to face 14 counts of fraud by false representation.
Walker also faces single charges of obtaining property by deception and concealing criminal property. Some of the charges state he allegedly committed offences in his role as managing director of Motorhomes Ireland Ltd.
It was heard Walker allegedly told 15 people that he would sell their motorhomes and deliver the proceeds of the sale to them or use their profits towards payment for another motorhome.
The values of the motorhomes involved vary from £7,000 to £60,000. The final charge totals the sums allegedly involved by accusing Walker of concealing criminal property “comprising of motorhomes which belonged to others…and the proceeds of sales of motorhomes belonging to others” amounting to a valuation of £432,995.
During today’s preliminary enquiry, a prosecuting lawyer submitted there was a case to answer against the alleged fraudster. This was conceded by defence counsel Mark Farrell who described the case as “complicated” with more than 2,000 pages of statements and evidence.
Freeing Walker on his own bail of £200, District Judge Trevor Brown returned the case to Newry Crown Court with an arraignment to be heard on May 18.
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