Former AFL umpire Troy Pannell knew he shouldn't have sold a horse while his assets were frozen.
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See subscription optionsBut he did so anyway and attempted to weave a "false narrative" to conceal the breach by forging records and involving his partner in his web of lies.
Months before the sale, the 48-year-old's assets had been frozen while he and his firm, Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors (ICSA), were being investigated for alleged payments he made while working at SeaRoad Shipping.
He had been working in the shipping industry before being suspended from his job in June 2024 pending the fraud investigation.
Pannell had been ordered to submit a document listing all of his assets, while he was also barred from disposing of any of his or ICSA's goods that would reduce his worth to less than $8.7 million.
But in March, a filly he owned went for $150,000 at auction.
Pannell asked for $93,727 to be paid into his partner Marie Wilkie's account before she transferred $82,000 to him.
He reassured a concerned Ms Wilkie, who had been contacted by SeaRoad Shipping's lawyers about his breaches, not to worry because "she had purchased the filly last year".
A document purportedly showing the transfer of the horse's ownership into her name in November 2024 was handed to her, but it was the first time she had seen the document that bore her signature.
Pannell told her he signed it on her behalf, completing the sale for just $6000, an amount she had actually transferred to him at the time to help with the filly's care.
He then coached her on how to respond to the plaintiff's lawyers to avoid suspicion.
"The actions of Mr Pannell were an attempt to create a false narrative regarding the ownership of the filly in order to avoid sanction," Justice Andrew Watson said in his sentencing on Wednesday.
Pannell was handed an 11-week maximum prison term for multiple contempt-of-court offences.
They related to his flouting of the court-ordered asset disclosure and his continued disposal of assets, despite being forbidden to do so.
Justice Watson in May found Pannell guilty of two charges of contempt of court, while his company ICSA was found guilty of one charge brought by SeaRoad Shipping.
The plaintiff had accused him and ICSA of failing to provide accurate and up-to-date affidavits outlining all of his assets.
Pannell, who self-represented in the Supreme Court civil trial, also pleaded guilty to two further contempt of court charges on July 18, relating to the filly sale and separately giving Ms Wilkie $10,000 cash, breaching his asset-freeze order.
He skipped several court dates, prompting warrants for his arrest after he evaded police and travelled to South Australia.
Justice Watson said Pannell's failure to comply with the court's orders affected the administration of justice, labelling his behaviour wilfully disobedient.
"The failure to swear the affidavits means for six months after they were due, the plaintiff still doesn't have a complete picture of his assets," the judge said.
Pannell will spend just over three weeks longer in prison after already serving 54 days on remand.
The experienced umpire, who presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs compared to one for the Adelaide Crows in their 2016 regular season match.
He retired from professional umpiring in 2019 because of soft-tissue issues.
Australian Associated Press
