A former Launceston chartered accountant facing stealing and misappropriation charges totalling more than $250,000 did not plead when he appeared in the Launceston Magistrates Court.
James Redmond Burrows, 35, now of Hawthorn East, Victoria, appeared before Magistrate Sharon Cure via a Zoom call on the six counts of stealing by misappropriation, 17 counts of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and one count of obtaining a financial advantage by deception between July 12 and July 31, 2019.
Ms Cure asked Mr Burrows whether he had engaged a lawyer. "At this stage, no," he said.
Burrows said he had been talking to a lawyer who could not attend.
When Ms Cure asked him who it was Mr Burrows stated a given name but said he was not sure of the surname.
Police prosecutor Mike Bonde said many of the charges were indictable Commonwealth matters.
In May, Ms Cure ordered that Mr Borrows appear via a Zoom call rather than by mobile phone as he had previously done.
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"I will adjourn this again so that you can organise legal representation. I urge you to speak to someone to represent you either here or there," she said. Ms Cure adjourned the case to August 4 at 2.15pm
Police allege Mr Burrows, through his role as a tax agent, misappropriated individual tax returns and falsified business activity statements for his financial benefit from September 2017 to March 2020.
Court documents reveal that Mr Burrows is alleged to have stolen more than $14,000 from Benjamin Caulfield, more than $52,000 from Grant and Marie Chugg, $21,843 from Lisa Miller and obtained a financial advantage of more than $20,000 from Heather Williams and $19, 216 from Blue Phoenix Super.
Nick Clark
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
I am the Supreme and Magistrates Court reporter for the Examiner for the past 18 months. My journalism career has clicked over 30 years and encompasses four different spells at Tasmanian newspapers.
