A Benburb man accused of lying to police about a crash and claiming his car was stolen will face Crown Court proceedings next month.
Seamus John Conlon, of Milltown Road, appeared at Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Newry, charged with perverting the course of justice and fraud by false representation.
The 51-year-old confirmed his name and date of birth during the short hearing on Tuesday.
While none of the circumstances around the alleged offences were read out in court, Conlon is accused of perverting the course of justice on September 30, 2023 when he “made a witness statement in which you stated that you didn’t know anything about your car being involved in an accident until contacted by the police, whereas, in fact, you were present in the car when the accident occurred”.
Furthermore, on October 12, 2023 Conlon is accused of making “a false representation, namely, that your car had been stolen on September 30, 2023, with the intention by making the representation to make a gain for yourself or another, or to cause loss to insurance company”.
The prosecution submitted that based on the papers before the court there was a prima facie case to answer.
Defence counsel made no contrary submissions and District Judge Anne Marshall agreed there was “clearly a case to answer”.
Conlon will be returned to Newry Crown Crown for an arraignment hearing on December 10.
He was released on his own bail of £500 until that date.
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