Co Antrim man to stand trial on fraud charges

A Co Antrim man has been ordered to stand trial on a series of fraud and forgery charges.

Michael McCusker, 42, of Mayfield Village in Newtownabbey, pleaded not guilty at Belfast Crown Court to a total of eight charges.

According to court papers, the offences are alleged to have been committed on dates between December 2013 and October 2016.

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McCusker has been accused of fraud by abuse of his position while a director of Strive (NI) CIC Ltd in that he “awarded himself a salary, withdrew cash at ATMs and branches from its bank account; arranged and used overdrafts on Strive (NI) CIC’s account with the Bank of Ireland; used the account to pay rent on offices premises, and exposed it to liabilities for marketing, printing and training.

He has also been charged with defrauding:

• The Big Lottery Fund out of £9,640 provided by way of a grant for a youth project;

• Youth Charter out of a £4,000 for a loan he claimed was to be used to pay for the operational costs of Strive (NI) CIC Ltd;

• The Bank of Ireland out of £30,000 in overdraft facilities he claimed had been authorised by the board of Strive (NI) CIC during a meeting which “authorised him to sign a letter accepting the said overdraft facilities’’.

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McCusker was further accused of twice forging the signature of a director of Strive (NI) CIC on cheques totalling £312.50 and presenting the cheques “with the intention of inducing the Bank of Ireland to accept them as genuine’’.

He also faced a charge of forging a letter from the The Spirit of 2012 Trust and presenting it as genuine to the Bank of Ireland to provide an overdraft facility to Strive (NI) CIC.

Defence barrister Peter Coiley told Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland that the trial was expected to last a week.

He asked for two weeks to lodge a defence statement stating that senior counsel Patrick Lyttle QC had only recently received papers in the case.

Judge McFarland set the trial date for October 2 this year and released McCusker on continuing bail.