Employee accused of stealing £23,000 from Northern Ireland fridge company

Matthew McMurtry, 36, with an address listed as Bankmore Street in Belfast, is alleged to have committed theft (by employee) between October 15, 2020, and February 24, 2022, according to his charge sheet.

He is also charged with fraud by false representation in the same period.

The particulars of the charge are that he "dishonestly made a false representation, namely collected cash payments due from customers on behalf of your employer and retained same for yourself with the intention, by making the representation, to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to Portglenone Refrigeration Services Ltd”.

At Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Thursday, the case was adjourned to June 12 for a preliminary enquiry (the legal step to potentially send the case to the higher-level Crown Court).