'Breathtakingly arrogant' con artist back behind bars

Guy Campbell Silcock is back in jail after being accused of breaching his parole conditions. Photo / Thinkstock

A "breathtakingly arrogant" con artist is back behind bars accused of breaching his parole by touting for business.

Guy Campbell Silcock was released from prison in March under strict conditions imposed by the Parole Board, including that he was "not to engage in any employment, whether paid or voluntary, involving the handling of money".

He was serving a two-year eight-month prison sentence for ripping off a dozen victims - many of whom were vulnerable or elderly - he was supposed to do landscaping work for in the Auckland area.

Silcock is now back in jail after he allegedly offered to do jobs for cash and touted for business.

He faces both a Parole Board hearing and a charge of breaching his conditions, for which he will appear in the North Shore District Court.

His initial deception was worth almost $30,000, but on the day of his sentencing Silcock sprang a surprise when he turned up to court with $26,000 to repay his victims.

After his initial batch of offending, some of which he admitted, Silcock was bailed, but continued ripping people off.

He'd place ads in the newspaper and when people called he'd say a big contract had just fallen through and he had men waiting to start work.

He would give an attractive quote, ask for a cash deposit and then nothing would happen.

"You have amply demonstrated that you are extremely manipulative," Judge Roy Wade told Silcock during his sentencing.

The judge also said he was "breathtakingly arrogant" during his trial on charges he defended.

During that hearing Silcock produced forged receipts.

Silcock had tried to argue his victims, who called themselves "Silcock survivors", banded together to frame him. He further claimed some of them were not at home at the time he completed jobs for them and hadn't noticed his handy work.

Today one of those Silcock survivors, Gail Mazur, told NZME News Service she wasn't surprised to hear he was back inside.

"Oh my God no," she said, although she was unhappy to learn he'd been released initially.

"For a start I think that's a joke for the court system and secondly I knew he would come out and do it again. I just knew he would do it.

"It's like an alcoholic. I knew he'd go and do it again. The writing was on the wall."

A Parole Board decision released to NZME says Silcock was "proactive" in dealing the gambling addiction and has undergone counselling.

During this he prepared a "comprehensive relapse prevention plan and a coping plan".

"It was apparent from this hearing that his addiction predates his offending by some time but became more serious and, to a large extent, drove his dishonestly offending against so many victims."

The board acknowledged Silcock was at risk of re-offending but imposed special conditions for six months after his release date, taking him into this month.

His sentence-end date is November 2016.