Horse dealer escapes prison on fraud charges because her case took so long

Imposing an 18-month prison sentence on Emma Bamber at Antrim Crown Court, Judge Fiona Bagnall said that because the case had been “hanging over the head” of the 42-year-old for six years, that delay justified suspending the sentence for two years.

Highlighting that “this was reasonably large scale operation” with the eight victims spread across the country, the judge said while the “financial impact of each individual sale was not that significant … the impact on the purchasers was more than financial”.

“Some of the horses were being bought for novice riders and were clearly inappropriate for that role,” said Judge Bagnall, adding that “it is fortunate that no one had been badly hurt through the actions of the defendant”.

In September last year Bamber, with an address at Bridge Street, Garstang in Preston, entered guilty pleas to seven charges of fraud by false representation and one of engaging in misleading commercial practice with all of the offences committed on different dates between January 10 and December 6 2018.

Following Bamber’s confessions prosecuting counsel Suzanne Gallagher asked for 10 other charges, including one further fraud, two of forgery and seven of failing to provide a horse passport at the time of transfer, to be marked as ‘left on the books’.

The particulars of the offences reveal that Bamber: told a victim a horse was “suitable for her grandchildren” when in fact it was an ex-racehorse; claimed a horse she sold was an Irish sports horse when it was not; claimed an animal called Bridie had “a full set of x-rays and five stage vetting” when it did not; further claimed that Bridie was an “extremely talented show jumping horse and sound in all ways”, when in fact it was not; took deposits for horses she did not have and did not transport.

Referring to an agreed statement of facts as prepared by Ms Gallagher during her sentencing remarks yesterday, Judge Bagnall outlined that in June 2018, “police in the Limavady area started to receive complaints naming an Emma Bamber from Glendra Sports Horses based in Feeny, Co Londonderry as having committed numerous alleged fraud offences”.

“Over the following weeks and months numerous complaints were made against the defendant,” said the judge and the court heard that due to the size of the investigation and because “the victims of this offending are situated all over the British Isles … the investigation was dealt with by CID”.

By way of background, the judge explained that by law, a horse is required to have a horse passport which “describes the animal, breed, colour, height and lists all vaccinations and the name of the registered owner”.

The passport “must be with the horse at all times, where it is stabled, when it moves, when it is examined by a vet or when it is sold or given to a new owner” and horses born after 2009 “should also have a microchip which corresponds with their passport”.

Bamber refused to answer police questions but along with written submissions in mitigation, defence counsel Nicki Rountree emphasised that Bamber “fully accepts her role” and that the fraudster wanted it placed on record her “categorical apology to each of the victims”.

The judge said there was mitigation in her guilty pleas and that in the intervening period “there has been no further offending”.