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In the face of “concrete evidence”, a principal lawyer lied to his insurance company about an incident that involved pig hunting, a broken Can-Am vehicle, and a former client with a broken leg.
Mark Geoffrey Streeter, Streeter Law
Mark Geoffrey Streeter, of boutique firm Streeter Law, was found by the NSW District Court to have made fraudulent submissions to Insurance Australia about a pig-hunting incident that ended with his former client being hospitalised with a broken leg.
Judge Judith Gibson said statements made both in the claim form and in the witness box were “sufficient to make me comfortably satisfied that Streeter knowingly lied in his claim form and in his evidence, in circumstances amounting to fraud”.
In August 2022, Streeter hired his former client, Stephen Lynch, to paint a homestead on his farm so it could be ready to sell. The farm included cattle and sheep but was also home to other wildlife.
The court heard the two met in November 2021 so Streeter could assist Lynch with a dispute involving his former domestic partner.
After some discussion about a hunting trip the week prior, Streeter arrived at the property on the night of 9 September 2022, had dinner with Lynch and then both set out on a Can-Am. The passenger door was missing, and there was an issue with the driver’s door.
While Lynch later told the hospital Streeter had invited him to go pig hunting, Streeter insisted they were just going to “see the property”, including the animals and wildlife around the farm.
In support of the finding he made fraudulent submissions, Judge Gibson said Streeter was not taking Lynch out to inspect the property or to see any features of the farm because it was “pitch dark”.
While on the Can-Am, Lynch filmed two videos, the second of which captured when the vehicle rolled, causing his leg to break.
Before the phone was thrown out of his hands, it captured pigs running ahead of the vehicle, a thump, and the vehicle overturning.
Streeter attempted to explain away his description of the accident as occurring because they hit a hole or bog, not a pig, and denied during cross-examination that he knew he had hit a pig at the time.
While Judge Gibson said the question of whether he deliberately hit the pig was not an easy one, she considered an earlier text message in which Streeter discussed “nuking” pigs and the “excited tones” of both men while they chased the pigs down in the vehicle.
“If I have erred in finding that Streeter was intending to hit the pig deliberately, whether he did so or not, I would alternatively find that he drove the vehicle recklessly in circumstances where the vehicle was unsafe, particularly at night, after rain, over uneven terrain and where there were feral animals about,” Judge Gibson said.
Lynch’s claim for personal injury was resolved for $78,591.56, which Streeter then attempted to have Insurance Australia pay indemnity for. This was knocked back on several grounds, including for having a firearm in the vehicle and for dishonest submissions.
In his claim form, Streeter claimed Lynch had been a worker for Bredbo – the company used to purchase the farm – and he had been hunting deer at the time of the accident. He told his insurance broker he was driving with the client to inspect the property.
This was despite Streeter being made aware there was “concrete evidence” the vehicle did not overturn as a result of a hole or bog.
Judge Gibson said that in circumstances where he made these claims despite knowing the truth, “is of itself sufficient evidence of fraud”.
Streeter also omitted to tell the insurance company a door was missing, made no reference to chasing pigs, and gave a “half-truth” about his reason for having a firearm in the vehicle.
The case is Lynch v Bredbo Pty Ltd [2025] NSWDC 54 (12 March 2025).
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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