Warrant issued for ‘army hero’ who missed court appearance

AN arrest warrant has been ­issued for an accused fake war hero who told a magistrate he was dying of cancer after he failed to appear in court.

A MEDAL festooned accused fake Vietnam war veteran has told a Magistrate he is dying of cancer and so cannot appear in court to face federal charges for being a wannabe hero. However, police are now investigating whether “Major General” Neville Donohue’s claim to be in the Alfred Hospital and dying is also a con. The “Major” was charged with falsely claiming to be a veteran and wearing medals to which he is not entitled after photos of him decked out like a North Korean general with four rows of military medals on his chest went viral on veterans forums and networks

AN arrest warrant has been ­issued for an accused fake war hero who told a magistrate he was dying of cancer after he failed to appear in court.

“Major-General” Neville Donohue faces deception charges, including impersonating a public official, and is also being chased for failing to repay a $460,000 loan.

Mr Donohue has repeatedly failed to appear in court, writing to a magistrate in February last year that he was dying of cancer and had just months to live.

On Monday, police officer Vaughan Atherton told the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court Mr Donohue was “an old-time swindler” after he again failed to appear.

This time, Mr Donohue submitted a statutory declaration claiming he was absent on “special military duty” and called for the charges against him to be heard in camera due to their sensitivity. He made a similar claim when he failed to appear in January.

Mr Donohue has been identified by former Army personnel as ex-corporal Neville McBryde Donohue from the Kilsyth area, who served in the Army from 1970-76 but never in operational areas.

He denies any wrongdoing, and claimed to the ­Herald Sun earlier this year that he was in his 45th year of military service and service to associated paramilitary government groups.

“I didn’t earn my decorations in the normal fashion, as in day-to-day military service. I earned them in behind-the-scenes service,” he said then.

Mr Donohue was charged with falsely claiming to be a veteran, and wearing medals to which he was not entitled, after photos of him wearing four rows of military medals on his chest went viral on veterans’ forums in 2013.

Mr Donohue faces 19 charges in the Magistrates’ Court, including seven counts of impersonating a Commonwealth public official, deception offences relating to employment and driving offences, and has pleaded guilty to several unrelated deception offences.

He also faces matters in the County Court relating to an unpaid loan on a house he purchased in June last year.

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