A FORMER Sydney barrister who once was a common face around the Wagga court house has been jailed on corruption charges.
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A Sydney District Court jury last December found John Peter Hart guilty of five counts of acting with intent to pervert the course of justice.
The charges revolved around allegations of Hart providing false information to a number of courts around NSW in the hope his clients' cases would go before magistrates Hart perceived to be more lenient.
Hart, who often represented clients in sittings of Wagga District Court, was adversely named by the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in 2010 after a public hearing in Sydney.
ICAC found Hart misled courts between 2008 and 2009.
During the inquiry, Hart said he was an alcoholic and admitted lying to magistrates.
He said he had provided false information, such as fake addresses and employment details of clients, in order to get cases transferred from one court to another.
He later had his practising certificate cancelled by the NSW Bar Association.
Hart on Friday was given an aggregate head sentence of two years and nine months, starting immediately.
The judge imposed a non-parole period of one year and 10 months, expiring June 21, 2015.