One of New Zealand's former most wanted fugitives has been jailed for more than three years after admitting frauds worth 580 thousand dollars

Helicopter pilot Paul James Bennett pleaded guilty at Christchurch District Court to seven fraud and theft charges over more than a decade.

While living in Australia in 2003, he ripped off a Kiwi dairy farmer over a plane parts scam.

The 57-year-old then sneaked into New Zealand on a yacht without detection and carried out more scams.
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Bennett had several aliases including Dennis Kite, David Kite, and James Lochead,

He was arrested as he sailed into Sydney Harbour after crossing the Tasman Sea from Northland on a crippled yacht in February 2015.