Man forged guarantor's signature on Islandmagee property rental agreement
A man forged a guarantor signature on a rental agreement for a property in Islandmagee, a court has been told.
John Davidson McDowell (55), with an address listed as Ballymoney Road in Ballymena, was sentenced at Ballymena Magistrates Court on a charge of fraud by false representation.
The charge was that in 2018 he dishonestly made a false representation, namely, that a person 'had signed as his guarantor in a lease agreement with the intention, by making the representation, to make a gain for yourself or another or to cause loss'.
A prosecutor told the court that in 2017 the other person had signed as guarantor for a year. That person was then later told he owed "upwards of £13,000 in rent arrears".
That person was then shown a copy of a rental agreement from 2018 and said the guarantor signature was not his.
It then emerged John McDowell had fraudulently signed the other person's name as guarantor on the 2018 document, the court heard.
A defence barrister said in recent times the defendant was "homeless at one stage".
The defendant has now been given a five months prison term, suspended for two years.