Use of false SIA licence leads to fraud conviction

McAuley was convicted of fraud by false representation and possession of an article used in fraud on the basis of information made available to Coleraine Magistrates’ Court. This came after he first failed to attend a court hearing for the same offences on 4 July and the case was adjourned until 1 August.

At this point, the court warned that should McAuley fail to attend on this date, the matter would be dealt with in his absence.

McAuley was fined £250 for each offence and ordered to pay an offender levy of £15. He now has a period of 20 weeks to pay off the full amount of £515.

McAuley was found working as a door supervisor and in possession of a cloned SIA licence at The Railway Arms by an SIA investigations officer on 5 May 2023.

Tara Moutray, criminal investigations manager at the SIA, said: “Martin McAuley put the people of Coleraine at risk by using a cloned SIA licence to work as a door supervisor without undergoing the proper training or licencing process. I’m happy he has now been convicted despite his failure to attend court and face the consequences of this decision.”

Moutray added: “The discovery and prosecution of this fraud is testament to the service our team of investigations officers provides to the public, both in Northern Ireland and across the rest of the UK.”

By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. The offences relating to the Fraud Act 2006 mentioned above are Section 2: Fraud by false representation and Section 6: Possession of an article used in fraud.