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Edwin Ireland was convicted on December 6 following a Judge Alone trial.

Justice Ann Marie Smith who heard the case decided that the prosecution proved its case based on the preponderance of evidence and found Ireland guilty on all 25 counts.

His sentencing brief is scheduled for January 13, 2025, and he will be sentenced on the 17th of that month.

In the meantime he will be spending his Christmas at His Majesty’s Prison on remand.

Ireland’s trial got underway on October 25 during which a number of witnesses — including 14 customs officers and employees from Cost Pro supermarket — were called to give evidence. The statements of some of the witnesses were read into evidence without them being present in court.

Evidence was revealed that for a specific period between 2019 and 2020, Ireland — who was the sole Cost Pro employee responsible for paying Customs Officers for inspecting containers — forged a number of receipts for which he received thousands of dollars in cash.

Reportedly, the man would submit receipts for payment to the head cashier at the supermarket and collected cash, which he was expected to pay to the Customs Officers for duties rendered. However, the cashier never checked for signatures, dates, or any other information and would only check for the amount that needed to be paid.

Ireland, the storeroom clerk, was then given the cash without any receipt being written and signed for, which Justice Smith said opened the door for abuse.

During the trial, it was revealed that there were certain procedures for checking containers and the amount of money that should be paid. It was noted that procedures were not being followed as Ireland would sometimes check the containers without a Customs Officer being present.

During the trial, a number of the officers stated that they dated receipts, allowing the defendant to fill out the rest of the information. Other officers denied that the signature that appeared on the receipt was theirs.

One Customs Officer refuted the time that she was purported to have checked a container. Documents showed that it was checked after midday; however, she said she only checked containers after 4 pm.

Ireland was also writing the incorrect temperature of a container in order to get more money, as different fees are charged for dry and refrigerated containers.

A fingerprint expert, Dr Alvin Langley, was called to give evidence and he substantiated the evidence of the Customs Officers that the signatures appearing on the receipts were forged.

The fraud was discovered on August 19, 2020 after Ireland presented two receipts to the head cashier, one of which showed that a Customs Officer was overpaid by $200.

An internal investigation followed during which Ireland admitted that he had money to return but did not get the chance to do so. The police were later notified and he was arrested and charged following investigations.

Justice Smith, who found that Ireland falsified the amount on the receipts, said the system at the supermarket was “very loose” with regards to no receipts being given for monies given to the defendant.

The judge felt that Ireland treated the supermarket’s property as his own, while highlighting that there were few procedures and protocols in place to prevent theft.

Justice Smith is of the opinion that Ireland did not act alone, but he has opted not to implicate anyone else.

He maintained his innocence during the investigations and the trial, citing that he was set up because he was accused of stealing pampers and juice three or four years ago.

The Crown’s case was predicated on circumstantial evidence and the judge thanked the young female prosecutor for her diligence in going through the volume of evidence that was before the court.