Hamish McLaren jailed for a minimum sentence of 12 years, with a 16-year sentence of imprisonment

MORE: Who is Hamish hell? Podcast

Judge Colin Charteris sentenced the accused to a total of 16 this afternoon in Darlinghurst District Court.

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"I do not believe that he has any remorse for his victims, I think that he is consumed by himself, he is motivated by the theft of money from other citizens who trusted him. The focus was on his own well-being so that he could apparently live busy life and spend other savings for retirement. I think he's probably sorry for his own situation that … he acted solely because he would not be held responsible, that his judgment day would not come, "Judge Charteris said in a statement. scathing judgment.

McLaren is the object of The Australian podcast Who the Hell is Hamish – which traces the network of lies and deceptions that the trusted man has been spending for over three decades, cheating everyone that he could draw into his fabrications – retirees, mothers , wealthy businessmen and even a 17-year-old schoolgirl while he was a young trader at the Sydney Stock Exchange.

McLaren faced a room full of his victims in court this morning, after unsuccessfully asking to be sentenced by video link, rather than giving them a chance to look at him in the eyes while the judge made it clear. his sentence.

Among them, fashion designer Lisa Ho, Tracey Hall, Jane, Peter and Lorraine Cross, Karen Lowe and Nicole Moses.

His victims applauded when his sentence was pronounced and applauded the judge as McLaren was escorted.

For the duration of his sentence, McLaren sat in the center of the courtroom, surrounded by those to whom he had wronged.

Judge Charteris asked where the $ 5.4 million that had never been recovered after McLaren stole it from various victims.

The judge enumerated each of McLaren's victims and the crimes he committed, while the deceitful man seemed unfazed.

Describing Mclaren's highly systematic method of stealing money and paying it back to other victims to hide his fraud, Judge Charteris said: "To borrow an old adage, he stole Peter to pay Paul."

"It is enough to clarify the facts (of one of the victims) to understand the sneaky behavior," said Judge Charteris. "He seemed to have no conscience … he had attacked those victims, he had the ability to force them to separate their money, he had no empathy for them, he was motivated by the main game to get their money and spend it as they please.

McLaren did not flinch when Judge Charteris rhetorically asked, "How could he deceive people in order to scam them away from the pension they'd earned during their lifetime?" professional?

Charteris JA cited the case of Peter and Lorraine Cross, who "suffered perhaps the greatest loss" among all victims, at the hands of McLaren.

McLaren stole more than a million dollars from Mr. and Mrs. Cross when selling their home and their combined retirement funds.

"They have no income, no savings and no retirement pension, they only have an outstanding debt," Judge Charteris said.

McLaren received a 25% reduction in his sentence because he pleaded guilty at the beginning of the trial.

At a sentencing hearing last week, Charteris JA rejected the McLaren lawyers' opinion that the fact that the fraudster had shamed the public because of media attention should justify a lesser sentence. heavy.

"Shaming it is pretty much the only thing the victims have," he said. "They do not have money and will spend their whole lives in a dreadful load."

The next episode of Who is Hamish hell will be released tomorrow at 3 pm

Journalist

Sydney

Sascha O'Sullivan is a reporter for The Australian. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from University College London. She spent her last year studying family law and child protection. She wrote editoria … Read more

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