A Waikato school principal facing theft and fraud charges has been publicly identified.
Huntly West School principal Barry Andrew Bloomfield had name suppression lifted in Hamilton District Court yesterday.
The 55-year-old faces 10 fraud and theft-related charges, including five counts of using a document for pecuniary advantage. He has been remanded on bail for trial in November, the Waikato Times reported.
The defence applied for continued name suppression saying it would be "difficult if not impossible" for Bloomfield to return to the community without a taint.
But Judge Phillip Connell refused, saying it was important the court system was seen as open.
He said the charges represented relatively substantial sums of money, including $17,416 allegedly taken by Bloomfield as a result of falsifying a claim form.
Police allege Bloomfield hired a former colleague as a day reliever at the school last year, but the teacher was working abroad at the time.
