The organiser of an airshow that never happened but that left ticket-holders and creditors out of pocket has been convicted of fraud.
Kenneth Ross faced charges of fraud and of breaching the Fair Trading Act after cancelling his Wings and Wheels Over Waikato show weeks before it was due to be held in March last year.
His trial was held in October and lasted three and a half weeks.
In a reserved decision delivered in the Hamilton District Court on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Robert Spear found Ross guilty of five fraud charges and six of breaching the Fair Trading Act.
He said that Ross was serious in his intention to stage an airshow and didn't set out to defraud the public. His downfall was due to his naivety, lack of administrative support and reluctance to accept professional advice.
Ross will be sentenced in January.
