OAP accused of smuggling and selling diamonds to have case elevated to Crown Court

During a brief mention of the case against 66-year-old Anne Roseleen Darcy on Wednesday, a prosecuting lawyer told Newry Magistrates’ Court that papers for a preliminary enquiry were being prepared and the case would be ready to proceed to the Crown Court in the coming weeks.

Darcy, from Windsor Bank in Newry, is on bail facing five charges arising from police seizures at her home on September 1 last year.

She faces charges of fraud by false representation, possessing items in breach of registered trademarks, possessing articles in connection with a fraud or cheat, selling suspect counterfeit goods and possessing criminal property.

The charges allege that Darcy possessed and sold “various suspected counterfeit items which bore, or the packaging of which bore a sign identical… to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss to various fashion houses”.

According to a police statement, the charges follow a search where nearly 500 items of suspected counterfeit designer goods and a BMW car were seized.

During a bail variation application last month, a detective outlined that when cops raided Darcy’s home, they seized 245 fake designer handbags, and with the pensioner admitting she makes £200-250 on each bag, “the minimum profit would be £49,000 on that seizure alone”.

The detective claimed that in addition to a room filled with allegedly counterfeit “handbags, belts, shoes and purses”, they also uncovered £80,000 worth of diamonds “wrapped in paper”, as well as a “diamond grading report” from a business in Dubai dated January 1, 2011.

When Darcy was questioned, she made “full admissions” that she had been travelling back and forth to Dubai and also that the items in her house were all fake.

Since Darcy was initially interviewed, the court heard she had been further questioned for further offences including money laundering, tax evasion and VAT fraud.

An officer also outlined that they have restrained a “couple” of banks accounts.

In court today, the PPS asked for a four-week adjournment as papers are prepared and defence solicitor Gerard Trainor confirmed his office could take delivery of them.

Granting the application, District Judge Eamon King put the case back to June 24.