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ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Man sentenced for lighting own unit on fire out of frustration at noisy neighbours
A Canberra man who tried to claim he was acting in self-defence when he set his own unit on fire, because he was frustrated after years of loud music from his neighbour, has been sentenced for arson in the ACT Supreme Court. Steven Kazmar-Hall, 39, was found guilty of arson after he set the fire in April last year. The court heard he had run up the street afterwards to escape the fire. The court rejected his self-defence argument that he had set the fire out of frustration because of mental health effects from noise he had endured for three years. Acting Justice Rebecca Christensen said in her judgement, the fire left the home uninhabitable, although it did not spread beyond his unit. The evidence presented in the trial included photographs of the "sizeable sound system" that was used by the neighbour in his unit. Acting Justice Christensen said it was a serious offence that put other vulnerable residents at risk. "Not only was their safety, and their lives, put at risk, but a number of tenants seemingly experienced significant distress from the fire," Acting Justice Christensen said. "The offender himself at the trial described that there were people 'screaming' after his conduct." But Acting Justice Christensen said Kazmar-Hall's culpability was reduced. "This would lead to significant distress and frustration for anyone, let alone a person suffering the mental health challenges of the offender." But Acting Justice Christensen said it was still serious offending. Kazmar-Hall has been in custody since the fire. He was sentenced to eight months in jail, but was freed after the sentencing because he had already served his time.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Private placements', property and cars: Inside WA's multimillion-dollar fraud trial
The first week of the trial of an alleged Perth-based fraudster heard his former clients claimed they had no idea he was hedging their investments with real estate and cars, rather than keeping the funds safe in a 'blocked bank account'. Private investor Chris Marco is on trial in West Australia's Supreme Court, facing 44 charges after allegedly defrauding investors of about $36.4 million. His former executive assistant, Linda Marissen, has been charged with 30 offences for her alleged role in the crimes. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The minimum investment to work with Marco was $100,000, and his clients included an environmental scientist and a Sydney-based insurance underwriter. In his opening statement, Prosecutor Steven Whybrow said Marco spent years developing credibility with his clients between 2011 and 2018, promising to invest their money in lucrative overseas investment structures called 'private placements'. Private placements are when a company raises money by selling shares, bonds, or securities to a select group of private investors, rather than through the public stock exchange. They are generally a riskier type of investment and aimed at exclusive groups of people, which Marco claimed to have access to. In an interview from 2021 played to the court on Friday, Marco said he mainly ran them through overseas operators. Whybrow told the court Marco added to his credibility by allowing investors to pull their money out at any time, but the generous returns his clients received meant they often rolled over their investments.
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
‘Private placements', property and cars: Inside WA's multimillion-dollar fraud trial
The first week of the trial of an alleged Perth-based fraudster heard his former clients claimed they had no idea he was hedging their investments with real estate and cars, rather than keeping the funds safe in a 'blocked bank account'. Private investor Chris Marco is on trial in West Australia's Supreme Court, facing 44 charges after allegedly defrauding investors of about $36.4 million. His former executive assistant, Linda Marissen, has been charged with 30 offences for her alleged role in the crimes. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges. The minimum investment to work with Marco was $100,000, and his clients included an environmental scientist and a Sydney-based insurance underwriter. In his opening statement, Prosecutor Steven Whybrow said Marco spent years developing credibility with his clients between 2011 and 2018, promising to invest their money in lucrative overseas investment structures called 'private placements'. Private placements are when a company raises money by selling shares, bonds, or securities to a select group of private investors, rather than through the public stock exchange. They are generally a riskier type of investment and aimed at exclusive groups of people, which Marco claimed to have access to. In an interview from 2021 played to the court on Friday, Marco said he mainly ran them through overseas operators. Whybrow told the court Marco added to his credibility by allowing investors to pull their money out at any time, but the generous returns his clients received meant they often rolled over their investments.
