Illness keeps serial fraudster out of court

A convicted serial fraudster who was too ill to appear in court yesterday is facing new charges of dishonestly using more than $100,000.

Max Heslehurst, 57, of Horotiu was to have appeared in Hamilton District Court yesterday to face the fraud-related charges.

But Heslehurst, who once tipped the scales at 190kg, was excused from appearing in court after his lawyer said police were aware of his circumstances and he was in hospital with an unknown ailment.

Heslehurst is facing nine charges of obtaining a document by deception to use for pecuniary advantage.

The offending is alleged to have occurred between July last year and January.

Some of the charges allege he convinced two men to write out and hand over sizeable cash cheques to a company called North Waikato Collections, which Heslehurst told the Herald he ran with his daughter.

The money Heslehurst is alleged to have used totalled more than $103,000.

Heslehurst is also facing a charge of taking part in the management of North Waikato Collections despite being barred from managing a company for five years after being found guilty on 41 fraud charges in 2009.

At that time, Heslehurst duped dozens of people across the North Island, including a Huntly dentist, a Horotiu dog trainer and a group of Hamilton bankers, by offering to sell them cars or televisions for bargain prices.

Community Magistrate Sue Hovell ordered Heslehurst to reappear before the court on June 12.