Name suppression has lifted on a Cromwell man who has elected trial by jury on 12 dishonesty charges at an appearance in the Christchurch District Court today.
The trial for Andrew W C Tonks Thomson, who is also charged under the name Andrew Charlton Tonks, is expected to be held in Southland – either Queenstown or Invercargill.
Christchurch Judge Jane Farish arranged the transfer of the case today as 38-year-old Tonks appeared in court by video-link from the prison. He remains in custody, but defence counsel Paul Johnson said an application for his release on electronically monitored bail was going to be filed.
The judge remanded him for a Crown case review appearance in the Invercargill District Court on August 19, where he will also appear by video-link.
Mr Johnson said Thomson had been granted interim name suppression so that his family in Australia could be told of the charges. That had now been done and continued suppression was not sought.
Prosecutor Sergeant Iain Patton said the alleged victims supported the lifting of name suppression but he asked for continued suppression of the names of the businesses involved and Judge Farish made that order.
Mr Johnson said Thomson denied all the charges and elected trial by jury.
Thomson is charged with dishonestly using a document to obtain a Ford utility vehicle, charges of being a director of a company while prohibited, making a false statement in a directors’ consent form, two charges alleging theft of $50,000 by failing to account, dishonestly using a document to buy a business, dishonestly using a document to obtain a rental property, dishonestly using a document to obtain loans of $300,000, and a money laundering charging involving $15,000.
The offending is all alleged to have taken place in Queenstown in March and April.
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