Fraud trial takes toll on AFL great

FORMER North Melbourne premiership player Wayne Schimmlebusch says a fraud trial has taken its toll on his friend and one time teammate, David Dench. Giving character evidence today during a pre-sentence hearing for Dench in the Victorian County Court, Mr Schimmlebusch said his friend had become noticeably worried as his trial for defrauding a university unfolded. "He puts on a brave face (but) you can probably see through that and he is a little bit stressed," Mr Schimmlebusch told the court. Mr Schimmlebusch, who played 306 VFL games for North Melbourne between 1973 and 1987, said Dench was one of the best footballers of his time. Dench was found guilty last month of defrauding Victoria University of tens of thousands of dollars in a complex false invoices scam in the university's facilities department. According to the... [read full story]