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Sydney Morning Herald
13 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Former AFL umpire Troy Pannell jailed over contempt of court charges
Disgraced former AFL umpire Troy Pannell will spend another three weeks behind bars after receiving a jail sentence for illegally selling off assets and breaching court orders while on the run from police. Pannell, who until recently had several warrants out for his arrest and dodged court hearings for months, is being pursued by his former employer, SeaRoad Shipping, after being accused of ripping the company off in a decade-long $8.7 million fraud scheme. Earlier this month, the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to six contempt of court charges at the Victorian Supreme Court, including failing to comply with his obligation to make asset disclosure affidavits pursuant to a freezing order and selling shares in a racehorse, Aimee's Jewel, to a friend, Maree Wilke, while the freezing order was imposed. On Wednesday, Justice Andrew Watson sentenced Pannell to 11 weeks' jail, 54 days of which he has already served in custody, meaning he will walk free in less than month. Loading Watson said Pannell had expressed remorse over his behaviour and struggled with mental health issues, but the former umpire had shown little insight into the seriousness of his conduct. 'Mr Pannell's culpability is high,' Watson said. 'There is a need for general deterrence and denunciation in the sentence I pass, in order to deter others from similarly breaching the court's orders.' The court heard that Pannell had told Wilke what to say to lawyers and fraudulently signed her name on paperwork to create a 'false narrative' that the horse was sold to her for only $6000 last year. 'Pannell's contempts were serious and showed disregard for the court order,' Watson said.
The Age
13 hours ago
- The Age
Former AFL umpire Troy Pannell jailed over contempt of court charges
Disgraced former AFL umpire Troy Pannell will spend another three weeks behind bars after receiving a jail sentence for illegally selling off assets and breaching court orders while on the run from police. Pannell, who until recently had several warrants out for his arrest and dodged court hearings for months, is being pursued by his former employer, SeaRoad Shipping, after being accused of ripping the company off in a decade-long $8.7 million fraud scheme. Earlier this month, the 48-year-old pleaded guilty to six contempt of court charges at the Victorian Supreme Court, including failing to comply with his obligation to make asset disclosure affidavits pursuant to a freezing order and selling shares in a racehorse, Aimee's Jewel, to a friend, Maree Wilke, while the freezing order was imposed. On Wednesday, Justice Andrew Watson sentenced Pannell to 11 weeks' jail, 54 days of which he has already served in custody, meaning he will walk free in less than month. Loading Watson said Pannell had expressed remorse over his behaviour and struggled with mental health issues, but the former umpire had shown little insight into the seriousness of his conduct. 'Mr Pannell's culpability is high,' Watson said. 'There is a need for general deterrence and denunciation in the sentence I pass, in order to deter others from similarly breaching the court's orders.' The court heard that Pannell had told Wilke what to say to lawyers and fraudulently signed her name on paperwork to create a 'false narrative' that the horse was sold to her for only $6000 last year. 'Pannell's contempts were serious and showed disregard for the court order,' Watson said.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The moment AFL umpire's world crashed down before he tried to take his own life
About five years after retiring from AFL umpiring, Troy Pannell's life began to implode. He had been working in the shipping industry, alongside his 16-year referee career, until he was suspended in June 2024 pending a fraud investigation. Pannell lost another job of 16 years and had his assets frozen due to the SeaRoad Shipping fraud probe. Realising he could no longer provide for his two children, Pannell's lawyer on Wednesday said his mental health 'really began to decline'. 'He was under a lot of stress,' defence lawyer Jessica Clarebrough told Heidelberg Magistrates Court. 'He was being investigated. He had his assets frozen. He felt he was unable to provide, he'd lost his job of 16 years, and he was very concerned about the impact on his ex-partner, his partner, his parents and his two children.' Pannell (pictured) had warrants issued for his arrest when he failed to attend a Supreme Court hearing and refused to stop when he was pulled over by police on two occasions Media caught onto the fraud investigation after he failed to turn up to the Supreme Court over the asset freezing, and warrants were issued for his arrest. Pannell sent letters to his family, before embarking on a solo road trip to places in South Australia, NSW and Victoria he remembered from childhood. Ms Clareborough said he then attempted to take his own life. He was pulled over twice by police but failed to stop, on May 30, and then evaded police on June 6, before crashing his van. Ms Clareborough said her client was 'panicking' as he knew there was a warrant out for his arrest. Pannell appeared at the court on Wednesday via video link from Melbourne Remand Centre. Ms Clareborough said he had been in custody for 48 days, for both the Supreme Court matter and these charges. He pleaded guilty to three offences, including dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, failure to stop on police direction and evade police. The property offences related to a vehicle, phone and laptop Pannell had not given back to his new employer, Demos Property Services. Magistrate Michael Wighton said the charges were not serious enough to warrant a prison term. He handed Pannell a six-month good behaviour bond, cancelled his driver's licence and disqualified him from driving for six months. Pannell will return to the magistrates court on January 23, 2026, and his charges will then be dismissed if he has been of good behaviour. Separately, he has pleaded guilty to contempt of court in the Supreme Court, and is fighting fraud allegations from SeaRoad over payments he made while working there. He will return to the Supreme Court on Friday for a sentence on the contempt charges. The experienced umpire, who presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs in a 2016 match against the Adelaide Crows. In May 2014, Pannell was left with a concussion and had to be taken from the ground on a stretcher after he was accidentally struck in the head by Sydney defender Nick Malceski. He retired from professional umpiring in 2019 due to soft-tissue issues.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-AFL umpire evaded police in 'panic' due to warrant
About five years after retiring from AFL umpiring, Troy Pannell's life began to implode. He had been working in the shipping industry, alongside his 16-year referee career, until he was suspended in June 2024 pending a fraud investigation. Pannell lost another job of 16 years and had his assets frozen, due to the SeaRoad Shipping fraud probe. Realising he could no longer provide for his two children, Pannell's lawyer on Wednesday said his mental health "really began to decline". "He was under a lot of stress," defence lawyer Jessica Clarebrough told Heidelberg Magistrates Court. "He was being investigated. He had his assets frozen. He felt he was unable to provide, he'd lost his job of 16 years, and he was very concerned about the impact on his ex-partner, his partner, his parents and his two children." Media caught onto the fraud investigation after he failed to turn up to the Supreme Court over the asset freezing, and warrants were issued for his arrest. Pannell sent letters to his family, before embarking on a solo road trip to places in South Australia, NSW and Victoria he remembered from childhood. Ms Clareborough said he then attempted to take his own life. He was pulled over twice by police but failed to stop, on May 30, and then evaded police on June 6, before crashing his van. Ms Clareborough said her client was "panicking" as he knew there was a warrant out for his arrest. Pannell appeared at the court on Wednesday via video link from Melbourne Remand Centre. Ms Clareborough said he had been in custody for 48 days, for both the Supreme Court matter and these charges. He pleaded guilty to three offences, including dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, failure to stop on police direction and evade police. The property offences related to a vehicle, phone and laptop Pannell had not given back to his new employer, Demos Property Services. Magistrate Michael Wighton said the charges were not serious enough to warrant a prison term. He handed Pannell a six-month good behaviour bond, cancelled his driver's licence and disqualified him from driving for six months. Pannell will return to the magistrates court on January 23, 2026, and his charges will then be dismissed if he has been of good behaviour. Separately, he has pleaded guilty to contempt of court in the Supreme Court, and is fighting fraud allegations from SeaRoad over payments he made while working there. He will return to the Supreme Court on Friday for a sentence on the contempt charges. The experienced umpire, who presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs in a 2016 match against the Adelaide Crows. In May 2014, Pannell was left with a concussion and had to be taken from the ground on a stretcher after he was accidentally knocked in the head by Sydney defender Nick Malceski. He retired from professional umpiring in 2019 due to soft tissue issues. Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
The Advertiser
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Ex-AFL umpire admits to horse sale while assets frozen
A former AFL umpire who sold a racehorse he owned and gave his former partner $10,000 cash has admitted he breached a court-imposed freeze on his assets. Troy Pannell had previously pleaded guilty to four charges brought by his former company SeaRoad Shipping, relating to payments he had made while working there. Justice Andrew Watson had issued an order on Pannell to prevent him and his company Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors disposing of any goods unless he had assets worth more than $8.7 million. If he sold any of his holdings, those sales must not bring his worth under the amount. Pannell, who was self-represented, on Friday pleaded guilty to two charges of contempt after he handed $10,000 cash to his then partner and sold a racehorse which were in breach of his asset restrictions. The former AFL umpire had initially contested the horse sale charge, claiming in the Melbourne Supreme Court he was not the horse's owner so the sale was not a breach of the order. The plaintiff laid out his evidence, referring to the affidavits of two witnesses, including Matthew Scown, the general manager of Yarraman Park, a thoroughbred racehorse breeding company, and former partner Maree Wilke. Mr Scown said his company had entered into an agreement with Pannell for his horse Aimee's Jewel in 2022. "The stallion service agreement records Mr Pannell as 100 per cent owner of mare Aimee's Jewel," Mr Scown's affidavit read. The company's general manager detailed all the correspondence with Pannell, including preparations for the horse in the lead up to the sale and when the funds were dispersed. "Mr Pannell is recorded as the owner of the filly in all records held by Yarraman ...Yarraman sold the filly on 2 March in accordance with Mr Pannell's authority and direction," Mr Scown said. In Ms Wilke's affidavit, she said she had expressed shock over a transfer form for the horse which bared her signature which she did not sign. "This is the first time that I've seen that document ... I told him I didn't sign it. He told me he signed it on my behalf," she said. "In response to me saying I was worried about being charged under the freezing order, (Pannell) told me I couldn't be charged because I owned the filly." After hearing the plaintiff's evidence, Justice Watson asked Pannell if he wanted to reconsider his position or wished to proceed with cross-examining the witnesses. "I think I'll retract and change after hearing all that," Pannell answered. "You want to plead guilty to fifth charge of contempt now?" the judge asked. "Yes I will, your honour," the accused responded. The experienced umpire, who has presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs in a 2016 match against the Adelaide Crows. Pannell will return to the court on Tuesday to learn of his penalty. A former AFL umpire who sold a racehorse he owned and gave his former partner $10,000 cash has admitted he breached a court-imposed freeze on his assets. Troy Pannell had previously pleaded guilty to four charges brought by his former company SeaRoad Shipping, relating to payments he had made while working there. Justice Andrew Watson had issued an order on Pannell to prevent him and his company Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors disposing of any goods unless he had assets worth more than $8.7 million. If he sold any of his holdings, those sales must not bring his worth under the amount. Pannell, who was self-represented, on Friday pleaded guilty to two charges of contempt after he handed $10,000 cash to his then partner and sold a racehorse which were in breach of his asset restrictions. The former AFL umpire had initially contested the horse sale charge, claiming in the Melbourne Supreme Court he was not the horse's owner so the sale was not a breach of the order. The plaintiff laid out his evidence, referring to the affidavits of two witnesses, including Matthew Scown, the general manager of Yarraman Park, a thoroughbred racehorse breeding company, and former partner Maree Wilke. Mr Scown said his company had entered into an agreement with Pannell for his horse Aimee's Jewel in 2022. "The stallion service agreement records Mr Pannell as 100 per cent owner of mare Aimee's Jewel," Mr Scown's affidavit read. The company's general manager detailed all the correspondence with Pannell, including preparations for the horse in the lead up to the sale and when the funds were dispersed. "Mr Pannell is recorded as the owner of the filly in all records held by Yarraman ...Yarraman sold the filly on 2 March in accordance with Mr Pannell's authority and direction," Mr Scown said. In Ms Wilke's affidavit, she said she had expressed shock over a transfer form for the horse which bared her signature which she did not sign. "This is the first time that I've seen that document ... I told him I didn't sign it. He told me he signed it on my behalf," she said. "In response to me saying I was worried about being charged under the freezing order, (Pannell) told me I couldn't be charged because I owned the filly." After hearing the plaintiff's evidence, Justice Watson asked Pannell if he wanted to reconsider his position or wished to proceed with cross-examining the witnesses. "I think I'll retract and change after hearing all that," Pannell answered. "You want to plead guilty to fifth charge of contempt now?" the judge asked. "Yes I will, your honour," the accused responded. The experienced umpire, who has presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs in a 2016 match against the Adelaide Crows. Pannell will return to the court on Tuesday to learn of his penalty. A former AFL umpire who sold a racehorse he owned and gave his former partner $10,000 cash has admitted he breached a court-imposed freeze on his assets. Troy Pannell had previously pleaded guilty to four charges brought by his former company SeaRoad Shipping, relating to payments he had made while working there. Justice Andrew Watson had issued an order on Pannell to prevent him and his company Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors disposing of any goods unless he had assets worth more than $8.7 million. If he sold any of his holdings, those sales must not bring his worth under the amount. Pannell, who was self-represented, on Friday pleaded guilty to two charges of contempt after he handed $10,000 cash to his then partner and sold a racehorse which were in breach of his asset restrictions. The former AFL umpire had initially contested the horse sale charge, claiming in the Melbourne Supreme Court he was not the horse's owner so the sale was not a breach of the order. The plaintiff laid out his evidence, referring to the affidavits of two witnesses, including Matthew Scown, the general manager of Yarraman Park, a thoroughbred racehorse breeding company, and former partner Maree Wilke. Mr Scown said his company had entered into an agreement with Pannell for his horse Aimee's Jewel in 2022. "The stallion service agreement records Mr Pannell as 100 per cent owner of mare Aimee's Jewel," Mr Scown's affidavit read. The company's general manager detailed all the correspondence with Pannell, including preparations for the horse in the lead up to the sale and when the funds were dispersed. "Mr Pannell is recorded as the owner of the filly in all records held by Yarraman ...Yarraman sold the filly on 2 March in accordance with Mr Pannell's authority and direction," Mr Scown said. In Ms Wilke's affidavit, she said she had expressed shock over a transfer form for the horse which bared her signature which she did not sign. "This is the first time that I've seen that document ... I told him I didn't sign it. He told me he signed it on my behalf," she said. "In response to me saying I was worried about being charged under the freezing order, (Pannell) told me I couldn't be charged because I owned the filly." After hearing the plaintiff's evidence, Justice Watson asked Pannell if he wanted to reconsider his position or wished to proceed with cross-examining the witnesses. "I think I'll retract and change after hearing all that," Pannell answered. "You want to plead guilty to fifth charge of contempt now?" the judge asked. "Yes I will, your honour," the accused responded. The experienced umpire, who has presided over more than 200 AFL games, attracted attention after he awarded 17 free kicks to the Western Bulldogs in a 2016 match against the Adelaide Crows. Pannell will return to the court on Tuesday to learn of his penalty.
