Story Credit: Observer’s Tahna Weston

Edwin Ireland, a former employee of Cost Pro supermarket, was found guilty of 25 counts of forgery and uttering by a servant in the High Court. The verdict was delivered on December 6 after a Judge-Alone trial presided over by Justice Ann Marie Smith.

The prosecution successfully established its case based on overwhelming evidence, leading to Ireland’s conviction on all counts. He is scheduled for sentencing on January 17, 2025, with a brief set for January 13. Until then, he will remain in remand at His Majesty’s Prison during the Christmas period.

Ireland’s trial began on October 25, during which numerous witnesses were called, including 14 customs officers and Cost Pro supermarket employees. Some witness statements were read into the record without their presence in court. The evidence revealed that between 2019 and 2020, Ireland, who was solely responsible for compensating Customs Officers for the inspection of containers, forged multiple receipts, resulting in thousands of dollars in cash for himself.

He submitted these receipts to the supermarket’s head cashier and collected cash that was meant for the Customs Officers’ services. However, the cashier failed to verify the signatures, dates, or other relevant information, only checking the payment amount. As a result, Ireland, working as a storeroom clerk, received cash without any formal receipt being written or signed, which Justice Smith indicated created opportunities for misconduct.

During the trial, it came to light that specific procedures were in place for inspecting containers and determining required payments, yet those protocols were frequently disregarded. Ireland sometimes inspected containers without a Customs Officer’s presence.

Witnesses confirmed that some officers dated receipts but allowed Ireland to fill in the remaining details, while others disputed that the signatures on the receipts were theirs. One officer stated that the timing of her container checks, recorded on documents, was incorrect.

Additionally, Ireland misrepresented the temperature of containers to fraudulently collect higher fees, as different charges apply to dry versus refrigerated containers. A fingerprint expert, Dr. Alvin Langley, corroborated the Customs Officers’ claims that the signatures on the receipts were forged.

The fraud was uncovered on August 19, 2020, when Ireland presented two receipts to the head cashier, one of which indicated an overpayment to a Customs Officer by $200.

An internal investigation revealed Ireland had money to return but failed to do so, prompting a police notification and subsequent arrest following further inquiry.

Justice Smith remarked on the supermarket’s lax procedures, stating that there were no receipts provided for the funds issued to Ireland, allowing significant room for theft.

She also noted that Ireland appeared to treat the supermarket’s assets as his own. Smith expressed her belief that while Ireland did not act alone in the fraud, he had chosen not to implicate any accomplices.

Throughout the investigation and trial, Ireland maintained his innocence, alleging that the charges were part of a setup in connection with a previous accusation of theft involving diapers and juice several years prior.

The Crown’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, and the judge acknowledged the diligent work of the young female prosecutor in managing the extensive evidence presented in court.