KEY POINTS:
An Auckland family abandoned by a husband and father who faked his own death more than five years ago is feeling huge relief that he has finally admitted what he has done.
The 42-year-old, whose name cannot be published, yesterday made a surprise admission to four charges of fraud in relation to his disappearance and life insurance policies left for his family to claim more than $1.12 million.
He was presumed to have drowned after his car was found abandoned at Port Waikato in November 2002, but in fact he had made it look like suicide and shifted to Christchurch to start a new life under a new identity.
He was found out when he tried to apply for a passport under his real name in January this year.
In court evidence yesterday, the man's now former wife - who had no part to play in the fraud - told the court of their separation before he went missing.
"He had told me he had tried to commit suicide. I just laughed about it and told him he didn't have the balls to do it."
Her evidence was in the early stages of a depositions hearing that was to decide if a trial should go ahead, but by late morning the man had decided to plead guilty.
The man's former wife declined to speak to the Herald, but Detective Mark Worner of Christchurch said the family were feeling greatly relieved he had given up his fight.
"She rang her children and told them. Her oldest boy expressed over the phone what a huge relief it was for him."
While the family had moved on, there was anger and unanswered questions. "The obvious questions come up, like why did he do this to us, why didn't he get in contact with us, and those questions you can't answer."
The man is free on bail until he is sentenced in July, but is not allowed to talk to his former wife, first wife or any of his three children.
He is also prohibited from speaking to the media, but his lawyer Barry Hart said his client was relieved to be free from prison for now, after having spent time in solitary confinement for his own safety.
"There's been a resolution, and it's a very successful one," Mr Hart said.
"My client is now out on bail and he now can breathe the fresh air. He's been in custody for three months, and a lot of that has been in a confined situation because of the problems that have occurred in the prison.
"He's been under a lot of strain by the fact he has been in prison. You have other people try to take your personal items and wanting you to pay money for protection, and all these things are not very helpful."
The man had a group of supporters, including his brother, in court to support him yesterday and this left him "very emotional".
"Without his [wider] family in support he would probably have not handled the prison situation as well as he has."
VANISHING ACT
1994: The Auckland man marries his second wife and the couple have two children.
November 15, 1994: The wife takes out a life insurance policy in her husband's name to the value of $121,681.
July 10, 2000: The man takes out a life insurance policy worth $1 million.
June 6, 2002: The couple separate.
November 6, 2002: The man withdraws all the available money from his bank account, totalling $4450. He has flowers delivered to his grandmother, leaves an envelope for his wife containing $2450 cash, and leaves his life insurance policy on the bedroom table.
April 2, 2004: Lawyers acting for his wife are granted a court order that he be presumed dead.
January 9, 2008: A passport application is received by Internal Affairs under his name from a Christchurch address.
January 28, 2008: Police use a search warrant to raid the man's Christchurch home and arrest him.
May 1, 2008: The man pleads guilty to four charges of fraud.
