By Jon Pierik
Former AFL umpire Troy Pannell is suffering from anxiety and depression and has been unable to contact family since his arrest for alleged theft and driving offences, a court has heard.
Pannell, 48, appeared via video link in the Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday, and though the exact charges have not been publicly detailed by the court, they are unrelated to his $8.7 million fraud saga before the Victorian Supreme Court.
Former AFL umpire Troy Pannelll in 2012.Credit: Sebastian Costanzo
Unshaven, and wearing a dark sweater, Pannell did not speak, and cut a forlorn figure through the 15-minute hearing before magistrate Denise Livingstone.
Lawyer Astrid Haban-Beer, representing Pannell, said her client had been in psychiatric care.
“We have an assessment. Mr Pannell, prior to his arrest, was in hospital for 10 days after a serious car accident and a mental-health episode. So, there are some assessment materials from the Austin [hospital] and the Alfred [hospital], there is a discharge summary,” Haban-Beer said.
Pannell was involved in an accident on the Daylesford and Malmsbury Road near Wheatsheaf in rural western Victoria on June 8. His van ran off the road and hit a tree after he had failed to stop for Victoria Police, who were trying to enforce a warrant for his arrest for contempt of court. No other vehicle was involved in the crash.
He received treatment at The Alfred hospital but was arrested by police on Sunday June 15, for theft and driving offences.
“There are some significant custody issues. It is Mr Pannell’s first time in custody, he is at risk of self harm, he is currently suffering depression and he is recovering from a car accident,” Haban-Beer said.
“So he reports to me that he was seen initially [for mental health] but it may be that he needs to be seen again. He has come, in effect, straight from hospital into custody.”
Haban-Beer said Pannell had been unable to contact his family.
“He has been unable to contact family members the whole period that he has been there [in custody],” Haban-Beer said.
Asked by Livingstone why that was the case, Haban-Beer replied: “Logistical issues, I believe”.
A plea hearing for the theft and driving offences will be heard on July 16, with Haban-Beer awaiting further medical material.
“Mr Pannell has been in custody since June 14. Given the nature of these charges and the likely resolution I anticipate, we are in my submission in the situation where his time on remand may be exceeding any sentence he may receive,” she said.
In a separate matter, Pannell will appear in the Supreme Court on July 18, having been held on bench warrant for contempt after failing to appear before Justice Andrew Watson in a civil claim over embezzlement allegations.
Justice Watson issued an initial arrest warrant for Pannell for contempt of court last month.
Pannell had been on the run for months over an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud. Several warrants were issued for his arrest over allegations delivered to the Victorian Supreme Court by his former employer, SeaRoad Shipping, that he defrauded the company of more than $8.7 million.
The scheme allegedly involved Pannell generating invoices to pay a company named Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors Pty Ltd, of which Pannell was sole shareholder and director, to repair damaged shipping containers. SeaRoad alleges no work was done to repair the containers.
Pannell officiated 291 AFL games from 2005 to 2018 – including a controversial 2016 match in which he awarded 17 free kicks to the eventual flag-winning Bulldogs and only one to Adelaide during a regular season game.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.