Missing ex-AFL umpire accused of fraud Troy Pannell a no show in court

Troy Pannell, a former AFL umpire on the run over an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud, has failed to front court.

Missing umpire Troy Pannell has again failed to turn up to court in an $8.7 million fraud case as the mystery deepens about his whereabouts.

Justice Andrew Watson asked for Mr Pannell to be called outside at Victoria’s Supreme Court on Friday.

A registrar walked outside the called and shouted: “Calling for Mr Troy Pannell, calling for Mr Troy Pannell, calling for Mr Troy Pannell.”

However it was clear that he was not in attendance.

It comes after private emails revealed Pannell told his wife “I’m so sorry for everything” before an alleged $8.7 million fraud was exposed.

A manhunt for Mr Pannell was expected to intensify if he failed to turn up to court on Friday.

An arrest warrant for the 48-year-old has already been issued for the 219 game AFL umpire but a further no-show would put pressure on Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police to find him.

Mr Pannell has been sighted in South Australia in recent weeks, a court heard, with friends saying he had not turned up to umpire training in Melbourne since late April.

Troy Pannell has been sighted in South Australia in recent weeks, a court heard. Picture: Mark Dadswell/Getty Images

SeaRoad Shipping has taken Mr Pannell to Victoria’s Supreme Court alleging that he defrauded the company of $8.7 million in false invoices.

The money was paid to the company Independent Container Assessor’s and Surveyor’s Pty Ltd, of which Mr Pannell was a director and shareholder.

A forensic search of Mr Pannell’s damaged SeaRoad Shipping laptop revealed personal emails between him and his wife Lynise Woodgate sent in October 2023.

“I’m so sorry for everything …. I don’t know (w)here 3 years have gone, we have been so busy …. And had I realised everything I am feeling right now, 3 years ago … … I would not feel the way I do today,” he wrote in an email titled “Love U”.

“Hopefully your day is not too stressful u there, and enjoy your night.”

Umpire Troy Pannell in action in 2018. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images

The emails also revealed that Mr Pannell had plans to sell his two cafes Duck Duck Goose and Larder in Kyneton, regional Victoria, and Common Galaxia in Seddon, in Melbourne’s inner west.

An email Mr Pannell sent to his wife on February 13, 2024 at 6.51am was titled: “FW: Sale of Businesses – Duck Duck Goose & Common Galaxy”.

The email contained an attachment with a brochure for Paramount Business Brokers.

The brokers had sold Common Galaxia to Mr Pannell and his wife in 2016.

Documents also reveal that Mr Pannell and his wife were applying for an extension of $100,000 to their Westpac Loan against the family home, an email sent on January 15, 2024 stated.

Pannell’s cafe was Instagram worthy.

Common Galaxia also served upmarket drinks.

The email to “Hayley Barber” included pay slips and an excel spreadsheet of the couple’s living expenses.

The spreadsheet detailed a mortgage payment of $3,977 per month on the family home, which was purchased for $810,000 in 2016.

At a 6.29 per cent interest rate, that implied the couple still owed $600,000 on the property in 2024.

They were also paying $2905 a month on an investment property in St Kilda, which was positively geared with a rental income of $3675 per month.

The Westpac application stated Mr Pannell was making $6,694 per month after tax at SeaRoad, while his wife was making only $523 a week from the Common Galaxia cafe.

The list of expenses for the bank included $1200 a month on groceries, $200 on shoes and footwear and $50 a month on internet connections and pay TV.

Common Galaxia, a cafe owned by former AFL umpire Troy Pannell, is now closed. Picture: Josephine Quattrocchi.

Mr Pannell and his wife claimed they spent no money on alcohol or gambling and only spent $25 a week on takeaway and restaurants.

The list did not include any private school fee expenses but a separate email showed that Mr Pannell had paid at least $7000 on school fees in 2024.

Ms Woodgate has claimed in court documents that the couple were estranged and has denied any knowledge of the fraud.

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Originally published as Missing ex-AFL umpire accused of fraud Troy Pannell a no show in court