WESTERN BUREAU:

Members of the Area One Fraud Squad may have to explore the 'scientific world' to uncover how a teenager was able to acquire and cash several cheques belonging to an organisation to which he has no affiliation.

When the case against 19-year-old freelance computer technician Author Coleman was mentioned in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court, the officer informed the court that he was still carrying out investigations into how the accused got the cheques valued at $1.4 million.

Resident Magistrate Vivienne Harris told the investigating officer that he might have to use fingerprint analysis, and other forensic evidence, along with further intense investigation to uncover who colluded with the accused, if the case was to be prosecuted successfully.

forged documents

Coleman, a resident of Rosemount Meadows, was charged with possession and uttering forged documents after it was discovered that he had been in possession of cheques for the complainant company. The signatures on the cheques were allegedly superimposed (computer generated) and, according to notations on the cheques, the accused told bank personnel that he had got the cheques for services rendered to the company.

However, defence attorney Martin Thomas, who applied for bail on Coleman's behalf, said the prosecution would have a hard time proving its case against his client, as the evidence was quite tenuous.

investigations

Coleman was offered $250,000 bail and told that he should have no access to computers unless it was for educational purposes. He is also to report to the Freeport Police Station on Tuesdays and Fridays. The matter was set for July 22 to allow the police to carry out further investigations in the matter.

The allegations are that the chief financial officer of the company noticed that the business' account was in overdraft and 10 cheques prepared between October 2008 and early 2009 could not be accounted for. The cheques were allegedly prepared and disbursed without proper documentation from the accounts department. It was later discovered that the cheques had been lodged over the counter and via ATMs to Coleman's account.