A Co Antrim woman appeared in court on Tuesday accused of stealing almost £30,000 of Lotto scratch cards.
Appearing in the dock of Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, Emma Chambers was charged with one charge of theft and one of fraud by false representation.
On an indictment covering a time span from 1 November 2023 until 5 September this year 34-year-old Chambers is accused of stealing “scratch cards to the value of £29,522 or thereabouts.”
Chambers, from Bramble Wood in Crumlin, is further accused of fraud in that she allegedly claimed she was “authorised to validate lottery scratch cards with the intention, by making the representation, to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to Lotto (company) or to expose them to a risk of loss.”
Standing alongside her defence counsel Grant Powles, Chambers confirmed she understood the two charges against her and while a police officer gave evidence that she believed she could connect the alleged thief to the offences, a prosecuting lawyer told the court “the mater is likely to go on indictment” to the Crown Court.
With that in mind, she asked District Judge Nigel Broderick to adjourn the case for six weeks “for a full file and allocation” to a senior prosecutor within the Public Prosecution Service.
Mr Powles raised no objections and Judge Broderick put the case back to 21 January “for further update.”