Housing fraud rapist’s jail term

HE WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THIS ELABORATE FRAUD

CROWN PROSECUTOR CHRIS COOK ON SERIAL FRAUDSTER AND CONVICTED RAPIST MATTHEW MICHAEL NAIR

A SERIAL property fraudster paid himself a “large wage” instead of ordering supplies to complete customers’ houses as part of a $1m scam.

Convicted rapist Matthew Michael Nair, 40, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court on Thursday to 11 charges of fraud – dishonestly induces delivery of property value of more than $30,000.

Crown prosecutor Chris Cook said Nair, a property developer, was the “main player” behind the fraud. It was used once in 2011 and on other occasions between November 2014 and August 2015.

“He was the driving force behind this elaborate fraud,” he said.

The court heard customers were left with uncompleted properties after Nair used their money for personal expenses and “large wages”.

Mr Cook said that at times Nair was doing “enough to keep the company afloat”, but creditors were not being paid and supplies not being ordered.

Just over $1m of work was paid for by customers but was not completed, the court heard.

Mr Cook said Nair was the “mastermind” and used other people as “pawns” in his offending.

Nair was arrested on the current fraud offences in October 2018. Months later he raped a woman at Kuraby.

A jury heard last year that Nair tried to kiss a woman while they were on a couch and placed a $50 note inside her skirt.

She told him she did not want to kiss him and said “I am not a prostitute”. Nair grabbed her forcefully by the vagina.

She asked him to stop before he grabbed the woman by her wrists and dragged her into his bedroom. He held her down and raped her.

Nair was sentenced to five years’ jail for the rape – cumulative on a previous seven-year sentence he was given in 2020 for several property fraud offences – with parole eligibility after four-and-a-half years.

Nair’s defence barrister told the court on Thursday that Nair had a background in the building industry in carpentry and property development.

He said Nair had suffered a number of physical and mental health conditions and had had some seizures while in custody from a stress-related condition.

Judge David Kent gave Nair a head sentence of three years’ imprisonment with a parole eligibility date of June 10, 2025.

All sentences were to be served concurrently but start at the expiration of the sentences Nair is currently serving.