A former AFL umpire, Troy Pannell, has been jailed for contempt of court after breaching an asset freeze and disobeying court orders to disclose his full financial worth.
Pannell received an 11-week maximum prison sentence for multiple contempt offences, including failing to provide accurate affidavits of his assets and disposing of assets despite a court order prohibiting such actions.
Following a 16-year umpiring career, Pannell had been working in the shipping industry until his suspension in June 2024 amid a fraud investigation involving his former employer, SeaRoad Shipping.
In May, Justice Andrew Watson found Pannell guilty of four contempt charges after the court was told that Pannell and his company, Independent Container Surveyors & Assessors (ICSA), failed to submit up-to-date affidavits detailing his assets.
The asset freeze was imposed as part of the fraud probe, which involved alleged improper payments. Pannell admitted to violating the freeze by selling a filly and giving a friend $10,000 in cash, actions that reduced his declared asset value below the $8.7 million threshold set by the court.
Self-represented in the Supreme Court trial, Pannell pleaded guilty in July to two additional contempt charges linked to the breach of the asset freeze.
Justice Watson condemned Pannell’s disobedience as deliberate and harmful to the administration of justice, highlighting that for six months the plaintiff lacked a full picture of his assets due to Pannell’s failure to submit affidavits.
Pannell will serve his sentences concurrently and has already spent 54 days on remand.
During his umpiring career, Pannell officiated more than 200 AFL games and was notably involved in a controversial 2016 match between the Western Bulldogs and Adelaide Crows. He retired in 2019 due to soft-tissue injuries, having suffered a concussion in 2014 after an accidental collision on the field.
