A fraudster who filed a fake affidavit with the court in a bid to get name suppression has narrowly dodged a jail term.
Shane Richard Scott, 58, admitted two charges of obtaining more than $125,000 by deception in November and his sentencing was deferred for a year to allow him to pay the money back.
Three months later, he was due to appear in Auckland District Court for a name suppression hearing but could not attend due to medical issues.
In support of his application Scott had filed an affidavit saying he was employed by On Target Drilling and that he worked with 50 to 60 clients.
If his name was published it might damage the reputation of the company, the documents said.