Actor Vince Colosimo has appeared earlier than a Victorian court docket after sheriffs initiated authorized motion to attempt to recuperate greater than $65,000 in unpaid fines.
The Underbelly star, 56, appeared by video hyperlink in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court at noon on Thursday from his lawyer’s workplace.
Mr Colosimo, who additionally goes by Vincenzo Colosimo, wore a black swimsuit as he sat alongside Legal Aid chief counsel Julia Munster.
The court docket was instructed Mr Colosimo was served with a Fines Victoria warrant on January 19, referring to 169 fines, some courting again greater than a decade.
Most fines associated to driving an unregistered car on a toll street however included dashing offences and failing to vote.
On behalf of Mr Colosimo, Ms Munster filed an utility to discharge the fines both absolutely or partially, with any the rest transformed to group work.
She instructed the court docket the fines had been initially lower than $30,000 however had ballooned out after charges had been added for non-payment.
“He has no assets, no capacity to meet the financial commitments,” she mentioned.
“Mr Colosimo is living a meagre lifestyle with very limited financial capacity to meet his current obligations let alone anything else.
“His work situation remains precarious.”
The court docket was instructed Mr Colosimo had confronted vital psychological well being difficulties over the previous decade, with a psychologist discovering this had a “causal link” to the fines.
Ms Muster mentioned Mr Colosimo had begun volunteering his time with an anti-bullying basis, known as Bully Zero Australia, and was taking “substantial steps” to handle his difficulties.
Paul Ellis, representing each the sheriff and director of fines in court docket, mentioned the prosecution wouldn’t dispute the psychologist’s findings.
Under Victoria’s Fines Reform Act, a Justice of the Peace might throw out unpaid fines for quite a few causes, together with if they’re glad the particular person has a psychological or mental impairment or falls into particular circumstances.
Magistrate Guillaume Bailin discovered Mr Colosimo’s psychological difficulties had diminished his capability to grasp the “infringement conduct” and he ought to be handled as a weak particular person underneath the Act.
He will hand down a choice on Thursday afternoon.
Originally printed as Underbelly star Vince Colosimo unable to pay fines racked up over final decade: court docket
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
