Fake teacher Julian Taylor’s dark criminal past exposed
A conman who taught at a series of Victorian schools has exposed his decades-long criminal past during an attempt to appeal his latest conviction for fraud and perjury offences.
Education
Don't miss out on the headlines from Education . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A conman who taught at a series of Victorian schools has exposed his dark past during an attempt to appeal his prison sentence.
Fake teacher Julian Richard Taylor has failed in his bid to appeal against his conviction and sentence for 13 fraud and perjury offences, handed down last year.
But in doing so, the former teacher from four Victorian schools revealed he had already served years in jail over dozens of charges through the 1990s.
Taylor, 54, obtained a Victorian teachers registration in the early 2000s by using fake documents to change his name on Deakin University academic records.
With that, he covered up his criminal history and passed a Criminal Record Check, going on to teach maths and physics at Ilim College, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar, Hamilton and Alexandra College and Traralgon College over a decade to 2015.
By appealing his sentence of two years and 11 months, handed down in November, Taylor has exposed his lengthy wrap sheet, previously hidden to avoid tainting the jury in his latest trial.
Appeal documents show that Taylor, born Steven Robert Barr in England, first changed his name to Steven Robert Parker in 1990 — five months before he was convicted at Melbourne Magistrates Court over 15 charges of obtaining property by deception.
Over the next seven years, he would return to courts in Melbourne and Brisbane four more times and be convicted of dozens of offences, including theft, twice breaching a restraining order, 27 charges of defrauding the Commonwealth and obtaining financial advantage by deception.
He was sentenced to a total 12 years in prison, much of it suspended.
But those convictions would be hidden when he used the new name Taylor in applying for teaching jobs from 2005.
Supreme Court documents show Taylor would change his identity at least eight times, including using the names Steven Bahntoff, Steven Anderson, David Sheehy and Julian Bahntoff.
He was eventually caught after an investigation by the Victorian Institute of Teaching in 2015, which was prompted by information from an overseas school where he had taught.
Taylor was found guilty of 13 offences last year, including four charges of using a false document, one charge of perjury, seven charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception and one charge of making, using or supplying identification information.
RELATED: TEACHER CONMAN JAILED
SCHOOL’S SPIRIT OF TASSIE INSPIRATION
Taylor, representing himself, sought to appeal his conviction this month by arguing the judge erred in describing the facts.
But his bid was thrown out of the Supreme Court.
He could have even been handed a more severe sentence, had he tried to argue it was manifestly excessive, documents show.
It’s not the first time Taylor has tried to appeal a sentence.
He also tried to argue against an eight-year jail term in 1998.
Then going by the name Julian Bahntoff, he claimed his sentence for defrauding the Commonwealth of more than $300,000 was manifestly excessive.
That application was also dismissed.
Which unis give you best odds of finding a job?
Nine out of 10 graduates from Victorian universities are working full-time three years after finishing their studies. See which are the top-ranked institutions for higher education in Victoria.
Your guide to schools around Dandenong
As more people move to Dandenong and Endeavour Hills, the need for secondary schools in the area grows. Here’s a comprehensive guide of each school you can send your child to, including the VCE scores, subjects and public transport options.