Teacher struck off accountants register

Former high school teacher and convicted drug supplier David Norman Arthur's fall from grace was completed yesterday when he was struck off by the Institute of Chartered Accountants as a provisional member.

Arthur, 49, was found guilty in the High Court at Auckland in July last year of supplying a class A drug, methamphetamine, to four teenagers at his home and filming them.

He was sentenced to two years' jail, but was granted home detention in November last year.

At the time of the offending, Arthur taught accounting at Takapuna Grammar on Auckland's North Shore.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants charged that Arthur's conviction reflected on his fitness to practice accountancy and brought the profession into disrepute.

To be eligible for membership of the institute a person must be of good character and reputation, said Michael Reed, QC, appearing for the institute's professional conduct committee.

Arthur could not be of good character or reputation when he had been convicted of supplying a class A drug, which carried a maximum penalty of life in prison, Mr Reed said.

Supplying the drugs to teenagers showed a breach of trust and ill judgment, he said.

Arthur, who is unemployed, told the hearing in Wellington yesterday that he still maintained his innocence of the drug conviction.

In sentencing, the High Court judge said the teenagers had exploited Arthur's weakness and his flaws had let him down, but he was due considerable leniency and mercy. Arthur focused much of his defence at today's tribunal hearing on his concerns over how the conviction was obtained, but this was suppressed by the tribunal.

Arthur denied he had brought the profession into disrepute because there had been no public mention that he was a provisional member of the institute, though he admitted that he had stated his membership in his CV.

In an earlier written submission, Arthur said the drug offence took place at a private party "so it had nothing to do with work".

The four-member tribunal unanimously found that Arthur's drug conviction reflected on his fitness to practice accountancy and brought the profession into disrepute. His name would be removed from the register and he was ordered to pay $1000 costs. The decision does not prevent Arthur from offering accounting services, but he can no longer claim to be a member of the institute.

- NZPA