Marianne Smyth was convicted of swindling just over £115,000 (€133,000) from four victims.
The Downpatrick Crown Court jury of eight men and three women (one juror was discharged on the second day) deliberated for just 20 minutes before returning unanimous guilty verdicts on all counts against Marianne Smyth.
As the jury foreperson announced their damning verdicts, 56-year-old Smyth sat passive in the dock, showing little to no reaction.
Having been extradited from the USA last year, Smyth, with an address at the Spa Road in Ballynahinch, faces three counts of theft and three counts of committing fraud by abusing a position of trust, alleged to have been committed between 20 March 2008 and 5 October 2010.
Marianne Smyth
News in 90 Seconds – September 4th 2025
The offences, committed against a total of four named complainants, disclose that whilst occupying a position in which she was expected to safeguard, or not to act against, the financial interests of the complainants, Smyth “dishonestly abused that position” by failing to properly invest monies given to her.
The jury have heard that across all of the charges, Smyth swindled a total of £115,750 from the complainants.
What they did not hear however, was that Smyth had faced two further charges of fraud and stealing £20,000 from a further victim who has since sadly died since he was defrauded.
The PPS had asked for his evidence to be admitted under hearsay rules but trial Judge Sandra Crawford had refused the application.
During the four day trial, the jury heard how Smyth took money from the complainants on the pretence of either using it to buy a house or to invest it into high interest accounts for them, only to keep the money for herself.
Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, GAA legend Dermot McNicholl said while he and his wife handed over a £67,750 cheque for a house they had not seen, “we had put our full trust in her.”
Marianne Smyth
“She came across as being very trustworthy,” he told prosecuting counsel David McClean, “we put all our faith in her.”
Mr McNicholl, part of Derry’s 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side and who won two Ulster Senior Football Championships in 1987 and 1993, Mr McNicholl and his wife Ita told the court that initially, they gave her £5,000 as deposit for a house in Belfast.
Smyth, the jury heard, told them she had “an even better deal” on a house in Newcastle and it was fortunate that it had sitting tenants and she owned the property next door.
Having been given a cheque for £67,570, the fraudster told them she could collect the rent for them and to support her lies, Smyth concocted an “entirely fictitious” bill of sale and rental agreement and even paid for several months rent from her own account.
Mrs McNicholl told the jury that after Smyth had fled across the Atlantic to America, she and her husband went to the house and found it was devoid of furniture or any life at all as Smyth had put all her dogs to sleep.
They also uncovered, the jury heard, copies of the bogus documents still in Smyth’s bin.
The victim at counts two and three, Shona Reid, had lost £23,000 and the jury heard how she and her husband considered Smyth to be a friend, having socialised with her and allowed her daughter to babysit the couple’s children.
Having arranged an “equity release mortgage” for them, Smyth said she would invest the money into a high interest account but in May 2009, they asked for some of it back.
Smyth, the jury heard, told them “she would need more time,” then claimed the money “had been paid into someone else’s account” and then told them, “she was going to the States for eight days and would deal with it later.”
Mrs Reid told the jury they never heard from her again, and nor did they ever see any of their money.
The last two complainants, James and Imelda Savage, had written a £20,000 cheque to Smyth who said she would invest it in a high interest account.
Mr Savage paid out £20,000 and just like Mrs Reid, he never saw or heard from her again.
Despite being warned that that jury could properly draw an adverse inference from her silence, Smyth declined to enter the witness box to give evidence on her own behalf.
Following the damning convictions today, defence KC Gary McHugh outlined how Smyth has been in custody since February last year so has served the equivalent of a three-year sentence.
He suggested that given Court of Appeal guidance on dealing with fraud cases, Smyth may be approaching “time-served.”
Mr McHugh revealed that immaterial of the sentence imposed by Judge Crawford, Smyth has received documentation from the Home Office that she is to be deported.
He suggested it would best to deal with the case as soon as possible but as prosecution counsel David McClean highlighted, the judge may wish to take time to allow Victim Impact Statements (VIS) to be recorded and lodged with the court.
Commenting that VIS’s are important, the judge agreed so remanding Smyth back into custody, she said she wiped pass sentence on 16 October.