Pomeroy woman convicted of fraud avoids a jail sentence

A POMEROY woman who pleaded guilty to a dozen fraud and forgery offences has avoided jail after a judge cited her family responsibilities as ‘exceptional circumstances’.

Mary Louise Quinn (40), of Limehill Road, appeared before Dungannon Crown Court, where she was handed a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for three years.

Quinn admitted submitting false documentation to Praetura Asset Finance Ltd and forging invoices from multiple companies – including Stanley Bell and Son Ltd, Calbro Construction NI Ltd and Cormac Leonard Commercial Vehicles – between May and June 2018.

She also forged a legal practising certificate and possessed three false vehicle number plates.

Judge Sherrard said Quinn’s actions were ‘clumsy’ and ‘unsophisticated’, adding, “The case rests on the potential of financial loss to the company, not Quinn’s personal gain.”

The court heard that Quinn’s home and business were searched in March 2020 and that she later presented a forged medical letter to police after initially being declared unfit for interview due to mental health concerns. This was described as ‘a result of [her] own embarrassment’.

Judge Sherrard acknowledged the delay in bringing the case forward and noted, “You come before the court aged 40, married with two children aged seven and five.”

He said the offences ‘passed the custody threshold’, but added, “There is a considerable exception due to family commitments. The impact of losing you would have very serious ramifications for your son and family.”

Quinn was described as having a ‘low likelihood’ of reoffending and showing ‘genuine remorse’.