Victims cheers as Hamish Earle McLaren jailed for 16 years after swindling $7.6m

A serial fraudster known to dress like James Bond will spend up to 16 years behind bars for swindling more than $7.6 million from multiple Sydneysiders including girlfriends and mates.

• The story behind conman Hamish McLaren

A SERIAL conman will spend up to 16 years behind bars for swindling more than $7.6 million from multiple Sydneysiders, including girlfriends and mates.

Hamish Earle McLaren, who liked to dress like James Bond and drive luxury cars, was ­arrested in July 2017 after his multiple fake investment schemes came unstuck.

Hamish McLaren in a letter to the judge, said he was truly sorry and “the labels of conman and alike are deserved”.

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Over six years the Bondi Beach man fleeced 15 victims, ­including Australian fashion ­designer Lisa Ho, primarily through a Ponzi scheme.

They packed out the NSW District Court yesterday, cheering as he was sentenced to a maximum 16 years in prison with a non-parole period of 12 years.

Acting Judge Colin Charteris said McLaren “appeared to have no conscience” as he preyed on innocent people who drew down from their mortgages and handed over superannuation they had worked their entire lives for.

“They had been deceived by a person who was a good talker, but who was just a shell,” he told the Darlinghurst court, adding that the 49-year-old’s one focus was a desire to “live the high life”.

“He callously decided to steal as much as he could,” Judge Charteris said. “His behaviour is the most reprehensible one could imagine.”

Hamish McLaren has no formal financial qualifications and on one occasion also pretended to be a practising barrister.

Victim Lisa Ho gave McLaren $850,000 in superannuation after he promised a low-risk investment with a high return. Picture: Adam Yip

The fraudster, who used the aliases Hamish Watson, Hamish Maxwell and Max Tavita, pleaded guilty in September to 17 counts of fraud and one count of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime.

The charges carry a maximum jail term of 10 and 15 years ­respectively but the judge gave him a 25 per cent sentence discount for his guilty plea.

McLaren posed as a futures trader, a barrister and a Harvard graduate but had no formal financial qualifications.

Tracy Hall gave $317,000 to McLaren — who provided her with false tax invoices — and has never been paid back, the agreed facts state.

The faux investment schemes were in currency, gold and shares in a PNG gold mine that had in reality been shut for years due to civil unrest, the court heard.

Freshwater single mum Tracy Hall gave $317,000 of her life ­savings to the then-boyfriend she knew as Tavita — it was never ­repaid. In the same row of the public gallery was Ms Ho, who gave McLaren $850,000 in super after he promised a low-risk investment with a high return.

The designer sued him and clawed back $500,000 but despite declaring bankruptcy in 2016 ­McLaren continued his scam.