How Alexander Pinnock faked a career as a lawyers with a phoney degree
A mentally ill parking attendant who became convinced he was a lawyer after being given a false credential has narrowly escaped prison despite swindling victims out of thousands of dollars.
For two years, NSW man Alexander Pinnock, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, led a bizarre fantasy career as Alec Stuart – a mock criminal and civil lawyer based in South Australia.
He claimed to have had 50 clients in three states and handled approximately $1 million in fees and money awarded to those clients.
Victims who paid for his bogus services funded a lifestyle that Pinnock claims involves flying around Australia three days a week, driving a BMW and staying in luxury hotels.
But Pinnock didn’t even go to law school – he just paid for one through an untrustworthy US website that distributes qualifications based on “work and life experience.” No real study is required.
For two years NSW man Alexander Pinnock (pictured), who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, led a bizarre fantasy career as Alec Stuart – a mock criminal and civil lawyer based in South Australia
Pinnock didn’t even go to law school – he just paid for one through an untrustworthy US website that distributes qualifications based on ‘work and life experience’
Pinnock claimed that as a lawyer he flew around Australia three days a week, drove a BMW and stayed in luxury hotels
The experience Pinnock used to earn his bogus diploma was as a forest ranger with the City of Sydney, where he served fines for illegal parking and breaches of municipal regulations, among other things.
Pinnock’s online qualification was so convincing that he believed he really was a top lawyer. A current situation reported.
“No one believed this more than I did,” said Pinnock, who was convicted Monday of practicing legal practice while unqualified.
“I like the law to be honest.”
The local Downing Center court heard that Pinnock’s psychiatrist confirmed that he had been hospitalized for a persistent schizophrenic disorder with ‘delusions’.
He had also recently become homeless.
Despite his mental illness, the court heard from the Law Society of NSW lawyer that Pinnock’s methods were “advanced”.
Pinnock claimed he used his online qualification — for which he paid “Charleston Stuart University in South Carolina” hundreds of dollars — to gain accreditation to practice law in Victoria and SA.
But the Law Society of SA told the court that Pinnock actually sent them an email claiming his ID was stolen when his car was broken into.
Mentally ill parking attendant Alexander Pinnock became convinced he was a lawyer after receiving a false qualification online – then went on to scam customers
While everything about Alec Stuart the lawyer was fake, his clients were not. Victorian woman Yvonne Borg was conned by him for $7,500
Once Pinnock was satisfied with his “credentials,” he set out to create a website, describing himself as a man “with a penchant for controversy.”
He falsified an Australian practice certificate he provided to the Queensland Law Society and lied that he had been admitted to practice in NSW in January 2020.
Once Pinnock was satisfied with his “credentials,” he set to work creating a spitting website for clients, alecstuart.law.
In it, Pinnock described himself as “not your typical lawyer,” but instead someone with “a penchant for controversy” who was “destined to make a difference.”
He also wrote Facebook posts about his mock courtroom practices and his lifestyle.
In one, he is pictured in flight and writes, “The blessings of our Heavenly Father just don’t stop. Who gets to do this for his career?” In another he writes that his BMW 5 Series is ‘the most beautiful sedan on the road’.
While everything about Alec Stuart the lawyer was fake, his clients were not.
Victorian woman Yvonne Borg paid him $7,500 to fight a case against her council, which had fined her $49,000 for an illegal shed.
The local Downing Center court heard that Pinnock’s psychiatrist confirmed that he had been hospitalized for a persistent schizophrenic disorder with ‘delusions’. Pinnock avoided jail time, but was fined $3,500
A tearful Mrs Borg admitted that the money she had given to Pinnock had come from a loan from Centrelink and her sons.
South Australian man Steven Wiseman gave Pinnock $3,380 to represent him after discovering that a piece of land he bought had been used as an illegal dumping ground.
To his credit, Pinnock admitted his mistake, describing the damage he caused as “catastrophic.”
He pleaded guilty to all charges and was fined $3,500 and issued a community correction order in lieu of jail time.