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Woman admits defrauding £50k from Orange Order

ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images Image shows the torso of a man wearing an Orange Order SashANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
The woman admitted stealing cheques from an Orange hall

A County Down woman has admitted defrauding £50,000 from the Orange Order.

Lorraine Hunter appeared in Downpatrick Crown Court on Thursday.

The 52-year-old from Circular Road in Newtownards admitted stealing cheques valuing "£50,180 or thereabouts" from the Orange Hall in Mary Street between 13 January 2015 and 9 July 2020.

She also entered a guilty plea to a charge of forgery in relation to "a number of" cheques drawn from Danske Bank.

The prosecution asked for a third charge of false accounting to be left on the books.

Granting the application, Judge Mark McGarrity also granted defence counsel Conor Holmes’ application for sentencing to be adjourned to allow time for probation to compile a pre-sentence report.

Judge McGarrity adjourned the case to 12 September.

Hunter has been released on bail.