A Nelson fraudster who stole $500,000 from clients in his investment advisory business has been denied the chance to take his case to the Supreme Court.
Tony Mount is serving a six-year jail sentence after being found guilty of 75 fraud-related charges, including theft by a person in a special relationship and obtaining by deception.
The police during his 2014 trial said Mount stole $510,617 from his clients over a decade by inflating the purchase price of investments bought on their behalf and by deflating the sale price of investments sold or redeemed on their behalf.
Mount failed to overturn his convictions in the Court of Appeal in 2015 but did have his sentence reduced from six years nine months’ jail by the appellate judges.
However, the former investment adviser was today denied leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Mount’s proposed appeal focused on his claim that his fair trial rights were breached because he didn’t have a lawyer.
He also said the District Court failed to give him the required advice as unrepresented defendant.
However, the Supreme Court judges said these complaints were fully analysed the Court of Appeal.
“The proposed appeal does not raise any issues of public or general importance…there is no appearance of a miscarriage of justice,” the Supreme Court said.
– Story by Hamish Fletcher, NZ Herald.
