Northern Ireland

Belfast woman in court accused of conning 24 people in north coast holiday home scam

The accused made her first appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday
The accused made her first appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday The accused made her first appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court yesterday

A BELFAST woman appeared in court accused of conning 24 people in a holiday home scam on the north coast.

Casey Cooper was charged by detectives investigating an alleged scheme which involved adverts falsely posted on social media about a property to rent in the Portrush area.

The 23-year-old, of Montrose Street, made her first appearance at Belfast Magistrates' Court to face 24 counts of fraud by false representation. The alleged offences were committed on dates between April and June this year.

According to the police case images of a genuine house were used, unbeknown to its owners, to dupe people into paying deposits for the accommodation.

During the brief hearing Cooper confirmed that she understood the allegations against her. No further details were disclosed, but a PSNI officer stated that he could connect her to the charges.

District Judge Mark McGarrity acknowledged: "It's going to take some time for a file to be prepared".

Adjourning the case to next month, he released Cooper on continuing bail.