Northern Ireland

Police officer to face fraud and tax evasion trial

Gerry Murray at Belfast Crown Court yesterday
Gerry Murray at Belfast Crown Court yesterday Gerry Murray at Belfast Crown Court yesterday

A senior police officer is to stand trial in the New Year on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Gerald Murray appeared at Belfast Crown Court where he denied five charges linked to a property in the city centre.

The PSNI superintendent was charged with, and denied, two counts of cheating the public revenue, and three charges of fraud by false representation.

Murray was charged with "failing to declare liability to income tax in respect of rental monies" for a property at St George's Harbour between April 2002 and April 2007 with intent to defraud the Commissioners of Revenue and Customs, and of failing to declare or make payment on his liability for capital gains tax in respect of the sale of the same property between April 2006 and March 2015.

When both offences of cheating the public revenue were put to Murray, and when he was asked how he pleaded, he replied: "Not guilty, your honour."

A further three charges of fraud by false representation were also put to Murray as he stood in the dock of the court.

He was charged with, and denied, failing to declare the ownership of the same property in a meeting with HMRC officials on August 24, 2012, and of making a false representation to an administrative officer that his main residence was that property, between July 2001 and May 2005.

The fifth and final charge was that Murray made a false representation on August 8, 2014 that the property at St George's Harbour was his main residence with the intention of making a gain for himself or cause loss to HMRC.

Murray again replied "not guilty your honour" when these charges were put to him by the clerk of the court.

Judge Patricia Smyth was informed that a trial date of February 8, 2019 has been set, and that the hearing is scheduled to last around two weeks.

Defence barrister Barra McCrory QC told the court: "There will be a significant enough defence case."

After denying all five charges levelled against him, and being informed of the date of his trial, Murray was told he was free to leave the court.