Country singer and alleged fraudster Craig Heath says vertigo stopped him appearing in court
A country singer has claimed to be “suffering from vertigo” after failing to appear in court in person to face more than 100 fraud allegations.
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A country music singer accused of scamming dozens of alleged victims through a failed $10m property venture has avoided fronting court in person, claiming to be suffering from vertigo.
Craig Heath, 51, of Ormond, has been charged with 107 allegations of obtaining property by deception, theft and obtaining financial advantage by deception.
Police allege the musician ran a dodgy investment property scheme where he would approach alleged victims, offer to knock down their existing homes and build townhouses in their place.
Listed to front the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Mr Heath failed to appear in person, claiming to be suffering from a case of vertigo.
After a drawn-out discussion between Magistrate Donna Bakos and Mr Heath’s legal team regarding his absence, Mr Heath appeared in court via video-link.
“I specifically said in my notes on the last occasion that you were to appear in person,” Ms Bakos said.
“But we’ve wasted enough of the court’s time today.”
Police alleged Mr Heath claimed to be an established property developer, a story which convinced clients to hand over thousands of dollars.
The court heard he had allegedly continued doing this without informing his alleged victims of his bankruptcy status.
The court heard Mr Heath was charged over three dates with the more than 100 allegations, after an initial police raid on an Ormond property in February.
In at least 26 cases, Mr Heath allegedly failed to rebuild properties, leaving his victims in significant financial turmoil.
In January, police alleged Mr Heath targeted single women in affluent Melbourne suburbs including Beaumaris, Bentleigh, Toorak and East Brighton allegedly convincing them to join his scheme.
. Some alleged victims have been left hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket, while others have seen their life savings disappear.
Some of the alleged victims were also present on the court link on Thursday, causing Ms Bakos to close the court.
“People who are potential future witnesses to this matter should not hear anything outside the realm of their own experience,” she told the court, before ordering it to be closed.
Mr Heath will reappear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for contest mention at a later date.
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