Conman’s life of

Malcolm Shearer comes across as charming and affable. As the 64-year-old likes to say, he is a ‘‘very giving’’ person.

He dresses well and, like many entrepreneurs, is full of optimism, especially about making money.

But as he approaches his pension years, he has little to be positive about.

Over the last three decades, the former digger driver has left a trail of unhappy former associates whose losses total more than $1 million.

Shearer has twice been bankrupt, the Companies Office lists him as a director of four failed companies, and three fraud convictions adorn his police file.

His chequered past has strained his relationships, even with those close to him, but it was his two estranged children who this week saved him from jail.

On Wednesday, Shearer stood silently in the dock at the Christchurch District Court wearing a sports jacket, a pink shirt and a black tie as he appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of obtaining by deception.

‘‘Mr Shearer has been deluding a lot of people, including himself, for a long time,’’ his counsel, Tony Greig, told the judge at the beginning of the hearing.

learned the firm had received no money from Shearer.

She confronted him about the dodgy deals but, despite threats of legal action, he never paid her back.

In a statement read to the court, she said she’d sold her family home of 47 years to cover her debts and had been unable to think about retirement. She’d hoped to fund IVF treatment for one of her daughters but that was no longer possible.

‘‘I’ve lost trust in people and feel very deceived and let down. I feel very embarrassed and like a failure to family and friends,’’ her statement said.

Judge Tom Gilbert said it appeared Shearer struggled to accept he’d been dishonest and had tried to brush off what had happened as a misunderstanding. That was clearly not the case, Gilbert said. The offending amounted to a ‘‘significant fraud on someone who you duped’’.

The judge noted Shearer’s previous offending – a fraud conviction in 1992, and another in 2012 (the latter was for writing cheques on bank accounts that had closed) – and his troubled business history.

‘‘It seems that in recent years at least you have developed a habit of leaving people in your wake and out of pocket.’’

Gilbert sentenced Shearer to 10 months’ home detention. The fraudster might have been jailed had his children not come to his aid. ‘‘You should be very grateful for that,’’ the judge said.

After the hearing, Shearer’s son told Stuff that his father was ‘‘mentally unwell and has been for some time’’.

‘‘We will continue to encourage him to get the help he needs as long as he can commit to an honest life. This is his last chance to turn his life around with any sort of help from us.

‘‘Should we see or hear any

sign that he is conducting fraudulent or deceitful dealings, ties will be severed with the family indefinitely.’’

Last week, Shearer, whose twin brother Roderick has convictions for obtaining credit while bankrupt and entering into business while bankrupt, told Stuff that he was pressured into pleading guilty and ‘‘I wish to God I hadn’t’’.

Ever optimistic he said, ‘‘If I’d fought this in court I’m pretty sure I would have won the case.’’

He claimed he had never denied owing money to the victim, but what he’d done did not amount to fraud. His former partner was ‘‘totally’’ aware of the circumstances and he had not misled her.

He described himself as a ‘‘very giving’’ person, but acknowledged he could be ‘‘a bit unreliable’’. ‘‘I’ve got a history of making mistakes, but I’m generally a good person – I don’t just go out and steal from people.’’

The victim told Stuff Shearer was a ‘‘compulsive liar’’ and ‘‘narcissist’’ and warned that people should be wary of any dealings with him. ‘‘Don’t be conned like I was.’’

Shearer’s troubles might not end