Court of Appeal confirmed former police officer Joshua Hohua Grant’s two years and four months’ prison sentence for mortgage fraud, saying his claim to have been duped into a scheme designed to rip off banks had already been considered and dismissed at trial by the sentencing judge.
Serious Fraud Office prosecuted Grant together with three other individuals for fraud following an investigation into bogus mortgage applications between 2015 and 2017 netting some $8.7 million.
Evidence was given of mortgage applications submitted with false statements as to current incomes, supported by bank statements in which funds had been washed through personal bank accounts to create supposed evidence of the income declared.
Grant was convicted on five counts of fraud; the lead charge being one of obtaining $2.2 million mortgage finance by deception over a twenty month period, of which some $1.1 million was drawn down.
His mortgage application falsely claimed he earned $92,000 from employment with Cartridge World, and that household income totalled $242,000.
In fact, both Grant and his spouse lacked any steady income.
Spouse Sian Grant pleaded guilty to the fraud; sentenced to twelve months home detention.
On appeal, Joshua Grant said the trial judge did not fully take into account his personal circumstances when passing sentence.
Grant said that while his parents were hardworking and supportive, he was brought up in a community wracked by violence and alcoholism. Close family had previously lost a large sum of money in an investment scheme which turned out to be a scam.
This background was included in a pre-sentence report made available to the trial judge, the Court of Appeal said.
Grant’s letter of remorse provided to the Court of Appeal added little extra, the court ruled. There was no expression of genuine remorse, the court said. The tenor of the letter is that he was ignorant and duped, an explanation expressly rejected by the trial judge, the Court of Appeal said.
Mastermind behind the fraud was a Bryan Martin. He was sentenced in 2023 to four years’ imprisonment.
Grant v. R. – Court of Appeal (11.12.24)
25.048