$580,000 conman jailed
One of NZ’s most wanted gets 38 months for frauds
Ahelicopter pilot and one of New Zealand’s most wanted former fugitives has been jailed for more than three years after admitting frauds worth $580,000.
Paul James Bennett, a 57-year-old with several aliases including Dennis Kite, David Kite, and James Lochead, had allegedly been on the run from police after being accused of masterminding a string of cons.
It can now be revealed that while living in Australia as Lochead in 2003, he ripped off a Kiwi dairy farmer and pilot of $111,000 over a plane parts scam. But the conman was then able to sneak into New Zealand on a yacht without detection and carry out another series of scams here amounting to more than $400,000.
Police launched Operation Kite in 2014 to investigate long-standing fraud allegations relating to Bennett.
Helipower director Mike Jacomb — a former business partner — even offered a $50,000 bounty to help find Bennett, alleging he had been swindled out of more than $250,000 in business deals.
Bennett was arrested as he sailed into Sydney Harbour after crossing the Tasman Sea from Northland on a crippled yacht in February 2015.
He was later extradited to New Zealand and charged with dozens of offences.
At Christchurch District Court yesterday, Bennett was jailed for 38 months after pleading guilty to seven representative fraud and theft charges which involved four victims and amounted to $582,680.85, spanning 2003 to 2014.
However, allegations that he stole a luxury yacht — and that he sold fake Rolex watches on Trade Me, plus other allegations — have been dropped by prosecutors.
The first charges date back to 2003 when Bennett ripped off dairy farmer George Glaister.
Glaister had been looking for some aircraft navigation parts online for a plane he flew himself and ended up getting approached by Bennett, calling himself James Lochead, chief executive of a company based in Australia called Parkwood Trust.
Bennett offered to sell him some parts worth A$12,000 with a down payment of A$8000.
Over the next few months, the farmer made 13 transactions totalling $111,079.82 into Bennett’s bank account paying for the supply of avionics equipment.
Glaister never received anything — and never heard from him again.
Skilled yachtsman Bennett married former Australian TV presenter Simone Ann Wright in Balmain, Sydney in 2002 and three years later they sailed to New Zealand. Wright, also known as Simone Smith, denies 11 fraud charges and is awaiting trial.
While back in New Zealand, Kiwi citizen Bennett mixed in motocross racing, passing himself off as an agent and manager. Around mid-2007, he sold Grant Leighton a Honda CRF 250 four stroke motorbike for $10,500 — but unfortunately for Leighton, Bennett didn’t own it.
Leighton then gave Bennett a Yamaha worth around $7000 for him to sell. He never got his money back.
And in April 2008, Frederick Saunders was introduced to Bennett at a motocross event through Dave Leary, owner of the Dave Leary Racing Team. Bennett spoke to Saunders about his son Nick trialling in France with the Bud Racing team.
Through emails, Bennett asked Saunders for a $9998 bond which he said would be held in a trust and forwarded to the racing team. The money was paid before Nick Saunders was offered a definite ride in Australia and decided to accept it and postpone the French ride. A refund never materialised.