Self-styled justice campaigner Dermot Nottingham has been bankrupted on an unpaid $15,000 court costs order. It is in the public interest to put a stop to his practice of commencing groundless private criminal prosecutions, Associate judge Johnston said.
Described as wreaking havoc with the lives of those wrongly accused of criminal activity, Mr Nottingham failed in a last ditch stand to prevent bankruptcy with a failed Insolvency Act scheme offering creditors deferred part payment. He claims to have no assets and debts in the order of two million dollars.
While the Insolvency Act proposal appeared to get sufficient creditor votes for approval, Judge Johnston disqualified from the count all those who voted in favour; they did not provide sufficient detail evidencing either their identity or the circumstances of the amount claimed. A two-line claim stating a name, an amount and a cryptic description of a debt did not suffice. The only creditors whose votes did count were judgment creditors with court judgments against Mr Nottingham. They did provide sufficient details of their claim when voting and all voted against the proposal.
Judge Johnston ruled failure to pay the $15,000 costs order and offers to make part-payment to creditors were both evidence of Mr Nottingham’s insolvency. Bankruptcy will enable Insolvency Service to investigate why Mr Nottingham claims to have no assets at a time when recent dealings totalled two million dollars, he said.
re Nottingham – High Court (11.09.18)
18.178