Fake headmaster Neil Lennie avoids jail for fraud

Neil Lennie lied about his credentials to dupe his way into top Victorian schools. But a judge has spared him jail, saying the fake teacher caused “no loss” to any schools or students.

Neil Lennie leaves Victorian County Court after his sentencing. Picture: Sarah Matray

A fake teacher who built his three decade teaching career on a lie has avoided jail after a judge ruled his “excellence” as an educator, made his lie “very difficult to un-tell”.

Neil Lennie pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud after he admitted he gained lofty teaching positions at four schools, including the prestigious Caulfield Grammar and Mt Scopus College, off the back of a phony resume.

Lennie was sentenced to three months jail for his 12 years of deception at Mt Scopus, but the sentence was wholly suspended, meaning he will not spend any time behind bars unless he reoffends in the next year.

For the remaining schools; Caulfield, Haileybury and Overnewton Anglican College, the former headmaster was given a community correction order.

The 72-year-old university dropout’s lies began when he stole his father’s teaching registration in the mid 1970s and used it to connive his way into four top schools between 1976 and 2000 where he earned almost $850,000 in teaching salary.

Neil Lennie served as headmaster at Caulfield Grammar school in the 1990s. Picture: David Geraghty

County Court Judge Patricia Riddell said on Thursday: “For a person looking to guide young minds as a teacher, such dishonesty is reprehensible”.

However, Judge Riddell said she “utterly rejected” the prosecutions’ argument Lennie was motivated by greed or ego.

“I believe you were motivated by your desire to teach and it is as simple as that,” she said.

Prosecutors had argued Lennie should be jailed and forced to pay back the hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages to which he was never entitled.

But in sentencing Lennie, Judge Riddell said she could find “no loss” to any of the schools or students as a result of Lennie’s fraud.

Judge Riddell considered more than a dozen character references from former students who spoke glowingly of their high school maths and science teacher.

Doherty Institute director Professor Sharon Lewin AO said Lennie was “one of the most outstanding teachers (she) ever had”.

“I remember him very clearly telling me I was capable of doing anything in life and to shoot for the stars,”

“He instilled in me a lifelong love of learning and of science,” she said.

Judge Riddell said Lennie’s “natural talent” for teaching saw him rise through the ranks at Mt Scopus to score the role of Head of Student Services.

Neil Lennie leaves Victorian County Court after his sentencing. Picture: Sarah Matray

“Ironically, it was likely your excellent performance which made that lie very difficult to un-tell and the web spun difficult to untangle,” she said.

The schools all stated they would never have employed Lennie if they had known he had no qualifications.

The schools did not conduct background checks on Lennie or vet his resume in which he claimed, among other falsities, that he began teaching when he was just 16 years old, despite not graduating high school until a year later.

While Lennie enrolled in several university courses over a number of decades, prosecutors could find no evidence Lennie ever completed any tertiary studies.

Judge Riddell said she was still unsure why Lennie chose to lie and why he never returned to university to complete his qualifications.

Despite being excused from attending in-person to learn his sentence, Lennie fronted court with his top silk barrister, Ian Hill QC.

A decision on the pecuniary penalty order will be made at a later date.

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