By Amy Remeikis
Conman Peter Foster has been ordered to serve 18 months of a three year sentence for contempt.
The infamous conman was not in court on Thursday afternoon for the sentencing, his lawyers abandoning his case after he failed to appear for a hearing that morning.
"International man of mystery" Peter Foster.
After Foster serves 18 months the remainder of his sentence will be suspended for three years during which time Foster will be banned from taking part in the weight loss, cosmetics and health industry.
Foster was charged with contempt on December 7, 2011, after breaching a 2005 federal court order which banned him from having any dealings with the weight loss industry for five years.
A warrant for Foster's arrest has been valid since September 27, when Justice John Logan found that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had proved its case against the 51-year-old.
Then, Foster had written a letter to Justice Logan explaining he had failed to appear in court because he needed to arrange appropriate care for his ailing mother.
He hasn’t been seen, by anyone who could arrest him, since but he told a News Corp journalist that he was staying on the Gold Coast and had every intention of appearing at the court for sentencing.
But he didn’t and on Thursday morning his legal counsel, barrister Liam Burrow and solicitor Terry Fisher, withdrew their representation, with Mr Burrow citing he risked "professional embarrassment" if he continued.
They asked to be excused shortly after "as a matter of courtesy", but not before handing Justice Logan a folder of correspondence Foster had sent to his now former lawyers.
David Kent for the ACCC, appeared aghast at Foster’s history, telling the court he struggled to see where Foster had ever held a legitimate job, describing him as a "career criminal distilled to its essence".
Mr Kent seemed particularly taken aback at how Foster wore his reputation as a "badge of honour" pointing to his website and the "international man of mystery" moniker, which Justice Logan said appeared to be a "buccaneer quality".
The ACCC alleged and proved he had breached that order through his involvement with SensaSlim, an oral-spray weight loss product.
Foster was released on a $125,000 surety, to enable him to care for his mother. It was at her hospital bedside that he had been arrested in 2011.
But last month, when Justice Logan found the ACCC had proven its case and revoked his bail he gave him just over two hours to farewell his family before surrendering himself to custody.
Foster never showed up at a police station.