Fake teacher Julian Taylor airs new gripes in court before shock move
A convicted conman who forged documents to work as a teacher has griped about computer access and made a shock move in his latest court battle.
A fake teacher who conned his way into the job using forged documents complained about a lack of computers before he spectacularly dropped his case.
Julian Richard Taylor was jailed in 2018 for two years and 11 months after using false documents to work as a maths and physics teacher at multiple schools across Victoria.
The British-born conman represented himself in the Court of Appeal on Friday and was due to argue why Victoria’s Education Minister James Merlino should investigate a teacher and an inspector from the state’s teaching watchdog.
He claimed there was alleged corruption carried out by the watchdog’s investigator and wanted the other teacher examined for her “fitness to teach”, according to court documents.
The 57-year-old is now in immigration detention after completing his jail term but argued his case should be delayed because he wasn’t able to prepare properly because of a lack of computers.
“I have no access to any computers whatsoever that puts me at a huge disadvantage,” Taylor told the court.
However, government lawyers said they provided the conman with hard copies of relevant legislation and documents.
The Court of Appeal justices rejected his attempt to postpone the hearing and the convicted fraudster made a shock move.
“It’s impossible that I can actually present my case because I don’t have the resources to do it,” Taylor said.
“What I would like to do because I’m in such a severe disadvantage that I will have to withdraw this case.”
He said he planned to file another motion but said he believed the minister knew there was “corruption” in the Victorian Institute of Teaching.
Taylor forged documents to change his name on academic records so he could work as a teacher in Victorian schools in the early 2000s.
He was nabbed when the teaching watchdog investigated his background in 2015 after it received a tip-off from a school overseas.
The VIT cancelled Taylor’s registration once it found out he applied using a false name, did not disclose his previous names and failed to disclose his convictions for offences in Victoria and elsewhere.
The disgraced teacher was born Steven Robert Barr in England and changed his name multiple times before he embarked on a career as an educator.
Taylor was previously convicted of other dishonesty offences and was sentenced to eight years for crimes including falsifying tax returns.