- Nixon, 61, is accused of obtaining property by deception
- A police informant must testify at his hearing
Disgraced AFL players' coach Ricky Nixon has sacked his lawyers just three weeks before he planned to fight allegations he sold fake Prime Minister memorabilia.
Nixon, 61, was due to face a two-day contested hearing in February but told the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday he no longer had lawyers representing him.
Instead, he wants to represent himself and question at least three other prosecution witnesses about allegations that he fraudulently sold soccer balls in October 2021.
He allegedly claimed the balls were signed by Melbourne Football Club players after their AFL premiership win in 2021.
He has been charged with 10 counts of obtaining property by deception after allegedly receiving $595 per soccer ball.
Nixon is also accused of making or using a false document in connection with the authentication certificates sent with the footballs.
Disgraced AFL players' coach Ricky Nixon has fired his lawyers just three weeks before a court hearing in Melbourne.
Nixon (pictured right, with Collingwood legend Dane Swan) wants to represent himself to respond to allegations he fraudulently sold footballs in October 2021 following the Melbourne Demons' first-place win. minister.
Three civilian witnesses and the police informant were due to testify at the contested hearing, which was to begin on February 12.
But Nixon's plans to call at least three more witnesses would ruin the two days designated for the hearing, the prosecutor said.
Magistrate Tara Hartnett ordered that the contested hearing be vacated and that another administrative hearing be scheduled for Feb. 6 to “resolve” any issues in the case.
She originally asked if Nixon would be available to attend court on February 7, but he said he had a Ted Whitten charity golf tournament to compete in.
Hartnett ordered Nixon and the police informant to appear in court on February 6, where a new contested hearing date could be set.
Nixon, who appeared in court via video link on Thursday, appeared frustrated before his case was called shortly after 11am.
He told the employee he couldn't wait any longer because there was a mover at his house who had been “patiently waiting” since 7 a.m. to go with him to a storage facility.
Nixon has denied allegations of fraud, claiming he was deceived by a bogus AFL licensee who sold him the footballs.
The clerk advised Nixon to stay on the link because his case was about to be called.
Nixon is currently serving a community corrections order after he was found guilty in June 2024 of unlawful assault and firing a missile.
Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano found Nixon punched and kicked an Australia Post worker at his Port Melbourne home on March 10, 2022, before throwing a package at him.