Conman has left country, police confirm
Police inquiries have confirmed a prolific conman has fled the country, skipping a court appearance for breaching his release conditions.
Wayne Eaglesome, now known as Alexander Luce, was jailed for two years and three months in October 2018 after a Press investigation revealed he was running a company despite being prohibited from being a director. He was released in October last year under conditions which lasted six months. Last month, he was charged with breaching the conditions after it was revealed he was attempting to rent a luxury apartment and promising to fill it with wealthy clients for $500 a night.
However, he has failed to appear at Auckland District Court on these charges twice.
On April 21, he said he had a dentist appointment and could not attend a scheduled hearing.
On Wednesday, his lawyer told the court Eaglesome had emailed him the night before his hearing, informing him he was in Laos in southeast Asia.
Police have since confirmed he has left the country. It is unclear if police will work with international agencies to bring Eaglesome back to New Zealand. Police had no further comment.
A Corrections spokeswoman said Eaglesome had not been managed by them since April 10.
‘‘Corrections has no ability to prevent someone not on a sentence or order from leaving New Zealand. We advised the relevant agencies on April 16, 2021, of all information held by Corrections in relation to this person’s identity and passport details.’’
The Press has been contacted by two people who claimed to have seen Eaglesome in recent days. One person believed they saw him at a cafe in Thailand, while another thought they saw him in Kuala Lumpur.
The Press earlier revealed that while in prison Eaglesome spent time in isolation after he told prison staff he believed he had Covid-19. He coached fellow inmates – some of whom were convicted sex offenders – on how to change their names.
The conman has come to notoriety over the years for turning a five-bedroom home into a backpackers hosting up to 28 people a day; claiming to be a millionaire shortly before faking his death; and going on a crime spree spanning the country, staying in flash hotels pretending to be a priest and a doctor.