ACC fraud-accused raced V8s at high speeds, court told

Grant and Lorraine Brennan, a Tauranga couple, are on trial defending ACC fraud charges. Photo / File

A Bay man accused of defrauding ACC told a private investigator he could drive a V8 around a motor track at high speed but found difficulties in driving a car on a public road.

Private investigator Michael Miners, who attended the Tauranga District Court yesterday, gave evidence about his role in investigating Grant and Lorraine Brennan's claims that Mr Brennan was medically unfit for work and needed assistance to carry out various duties.

The couple, who are directors of Brennan Racing, are on trial, defending 88 charges of dishonestly using a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage.

The charges relate to the Brennans receiving ACC payments totalling more than $720,000 between December 1999 and 2011 - but the amount of any alleged overpayment depends on the outcome of the trial

Mr Brennan suffered a head injury after being assaulted in April 1999, and his wife received attendant care payment between 2000 and 2003.

Mr Miners told the court that at the time of his investigations in 2002 and 2003 he was employed at Private Investigations and was asked to look into the matter by a private insurance company

He said his initial "pretext" inquiries involved visiting the Brennans' Pyes Pa home on March 3, 2002, during which he spoke to Mrs Brennan who told him about their plans to have a display of their products at the NZ Motor Show at Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton.

Mr Miners said he did not speak to Mr Brennan but saw him working in the workshop.

When he attended the motor show in March 2002, all his discussions about Brennan Racing's range of products and their activities were with Mr Brennan, he said. "Grant led me to believe he undertook all the [engineering] work in the business."

Mr Miners said that on August 7, 2003, he conducted a formal interview with Mr Brennan, also attended by Mrs Brennan, an ACC staff member and the Brennans' support person.

Mr Brennan had been asked how he was able to compete in high-performance V8 motor racing at Mansfield and Pukekohe in 2002 if, as he claimed, he had difficulties driving a car on a public road.

"Grant said the two things were quite different and told me that he found he could race at 100 miles an hour [161km/h] on a race track but can't drive around Tauranga," Mr Miners said.

When Mr Brennan was questioned about how he could drive a 10-tonne truck to and from one of those meetings over a period of six hours, he had responded that he could not remember.

The defendants denied he was doing any engineering work in the business, Mr Miners said.

A former client of the Brennans also gave evidence of work done on a car.

Gordon Burr said after he learned the Brennans owned the top half of an original engine for a 1977 Alfa Romeo he negotiated to buy it from Mr Brennan, as well as having him build the bottom half.

Mr Burr said he was led to believe Mr Brennan carried out the majority of the work himself, and all his discussions about the specialist work done were with Mr Brennan.

The judge-alone trial continues on Monday.