Hanson fraudster admits deception

SYDNEY (AAP) - June 14 - The man who led Pauline Hanson to believe she was robbed of votes in the NSW upper house poll has admitted in court to forging an email that led her to challenge her March election loss.
In the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sydney teacher Sean Castle was granted protection from prosecution before being compelled to answer questions relating to a purported Electoral Commission email.
Ms Hanson has said she was told of an email exchange between NSW Electoral Commission staff that alleged 1200 votes in her favour in the March 26 poll were put in a pile of blank ballots by "dodgy staff".
The controversial independent politician launched the court challenge in the belief that those missing votes might have cost her a seat.
But Mr Castle on Tuesday told the court he had made the whole thing up while using the name Michael Rattner.
He said he had never received any email from the commission, and that he had created the email he used to support his deception.
Mr Castle also admitted never knowing anyone who worked for the Electoral Commission and never having a girlfriend who worked for the commission.
Last Friday, Ms Castle appeared in the court to say he was a Sydney teacher and father of three from Glendenning, in Sydney's outer west.
Mr Castle told the court he had used the pseudonym Michael Rattner, the person cited by Ms Hanson's legal team as having information important to their case.
"My name is Sean Castle. I have represented myself as being Michael Rattner," he said, reading from a prepared statement.
On May 30, the Supreme Court heard Michael Rattner described as a construction worker from Toowoomba, in Queensland, and that he had received the contentious emails from his girlfriend, who was an employee at the NSW Electoral Commission.
NSW Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham risks losing his upper house spot if the challenge by Ms Hanson is successful.