Face of Nation : Fake teacher Julian Richard Taylor spent a decade working at Victorian schools but reckoned a two-year-and-11-month jail term for his crime was too harsh.
A bid by the 54-year-old to challenge his sentence has not only failed, but came close to backfiring on Friday when the Court of Appeal dismissed his case.
“If anything … the sentence might be said to be excessively lenient, given the applicant’s planned and protracted offending, and his substantial prior convictions,” Justice Phillip Priest and Justice David Beach wrote in their decision.
Taylor, represented himself, argued his jail term was manifestly excessive and the sentencing judge did not take into account mitigating factors.
But the justices pointed out Taylor displayed no remorse for his offending, had a lengthy history of fraud offences and was a poor prospect for rehabilitation.
“His history reveals that, whether he can fairly be said to possess the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes’ archenemy, the applicant has been an enthusiastic — although not entirely successful — fraudster, ” the justices wrote, drawing a comparison to fictional Professor James Moriarty in their judgment.
The wannabe teacher worked at schools including Ilim College at Dallas, Hamilton and Alexandra College at Hamilton, St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School at Warragul and Traralgon College.
After a trial the serial fraudster was found guilty of four charges of using false documents, seven counts of obtaining financial advantage by deception and one charge each of perjury and making, using or supplying identity information.
