SENTENCING OF KATHY WARD AND MARK McCONKEY
Kathy Ward and Mark McConkey were sentenced on Thursday 11 October and given suspended sentences at Downpatrick Magistrates Court for their part in a fraudxa0connected to La Mon Travel Agency in Downpatrick.
[caption id="attachment_43513" align="alignleft" width="360"]
Kathy Ward and William McConkey xa0received suspended sentences after pleading guilty to 80 frauds on customers at La Mon Travel in Downpatrick.xa0[/caption]Ward and McConkey pleaded guilty to over 80 charges including Fraud by Abuse of Position, Fraud by False Representation, theft and forgery.
Speakingxa0outsidexa0the court earlier,xa0the Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Harris, said: “Today is the culmination of a long and complex investigation by the investigation team who worked tirelessly over a four year period to bring this case to court.
“The actions of these two individuals have had a serious impact on their victims coming as they did at a time of great economic difficulty for a lot of people
“Wexa0would like toxa0thank those victims for their steadfast support and patience throughout the lengthy police investigation and subsequent court process.”
Down Area Commander Chief Inspector Deirdre Bonesxa0added, “This has been a difficult time for the town ofxa0Downpatrick. The impact of this case, which commenced in 2010 and involved over 100 victims, has been felt widely by our community.
“As Area Commander I would also like to add my thanks to those expressed by DCI Harris and extend my gratitude for the ongoing support of the people of Downpatrick for local police.”
After the case was closed, the solicitor representing Ward and McConkey said outside the court that the pair apologised “unreservedly” for their actions. They have xa0since lodged £29,000 as compensation to the customers they defrauded.
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