Fraudster tries to con judge at sentencing

A fraudster will begin a 14-month jail term today, despite trying to con an Auckland District Court judge into giving him home detention.

Heston Williamson, who had admitted several theft and fraud charges, handed up documents to Judge Jan Doogue, saying an uncle had recently died, leaving him a sum "in the hundreds of thousands of dollars".

The Dominion Post reported the 43-year-old Wellington man asked for home detention, and said he would use the inheritance for reparations and, now that he had the money, would no longer be compelled to offend.

Judge Doogue said Williamson had written the documents himself and there was no evidence of any cash.

"There's nothing in the material that suggests they hold any water," she said.

Earlier the court was told that Williamson, also known as Heston Kururangi, had conned a car salesman out of a $165,000 2009 E500 Mercedes Coupe by masquerading as the manager of Auckland's Hilton Hotel.

He met the Coutts Newmarket saleman outside the hotel in December, handed over a senior hotel manager's business card he had obtained, and said he wanted to take the car for a test drive.

Police found him and the car the next day in Rotorua, where he had checked into the Rydges hotel and run up a $560 bill.

- NZPA