• In short: A court has ruled actor Vince Colosimo will not have to pay $61,858 in fines, accrued over an eight-year period.
• What’s next? The 56-year-old was ordered to complete 101 hours of community work over the next 12 months.

At the height of his fame, Vince Colosimo was a household name on Australian screens, starring in the crime series Underbelly and cult films Chopper and The Wog Boy.

Two decades on, a combination of mental illness and substance abuse has left the actor “in a very difficult financial situation”, his lawyer says, putting him at the mercy of a magistrate who had the option of sending him to jail for failing to pay more than $60,000 worth of fines.

However after a two-hour hearing on Thursday, Colosimo will walk free from his lawyer’s office and not need to pay any of the money.

Instead, he will have to complete 101 hours of community work over the next 12 months.

Between 2013 and 2022, Colosimo racked up a combined $61,858 worth of fines and penalties for unpaid tolls, speeding offences, minor driving offences, and not voting in council elections over a nine-year period.

It led Colosimo, who has previously been found guilty of drug-driving, to face an enforcement hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.

Colosimo’s mental health struggles cited by defence

He was represented by Legal Aid’s chief counsel Julia Munster, who asked Magistrate Guillaume Bailin to wipe Colosimo’s entire debt because he suffered from “profound mental illness” and had an unstable living situation.

Magistrate Bailin said a psychologist’s report tendered by the defence found the actor was suffering from ADHD, depression, anxiety, stimulant abuse disorder and post traumatic stress disorder at the time he incurred 169 infringement notices.

Colosimo’s lawyers said that other than a car worth $5,000 and a bike, he owned no assets and had no capability to pay the outstanding fines.

“He’s not been driving since he lost his licence.”

Ms Munster said Colosimo, 56, contacted the Sheriff’s Office to work out a plan to repay the fines, but called on a public holiday and was later told he was too late.

The court heard Colosimo had completed volunteer work for the bullying prevention charity Bully Zero during the last six weeks, and had received a letter of support from its chief executive.

None of the evidence put forward by Colosimo’s defence was challenged by lawyers from the Sheriff’s Office.

Magistrate Bailin said Colosimo’s personal circumstances met requirements to have part of his penalty discharged under the Fines Reform Act.

He discharged $58,000 worth of fines, ordering the remaining penalty to be worked off through community service.

Colosimo did not attend the court in-person, and instead watched proceedings from the Legal Aid Melbourne headquarters, located 400 metres away.