NSW fraud complaint adds to scrutiny of Campbell and Hilton Wood

A NSW Police fraud complaint naming Adrian James Campbell and Hilton Wood has added another layer of scrutiny to a business trail already marked by convictions, consumer complaints and Federal Court findings about Campbell’s honesty under oath.

The complaint, identified as Event E104942732, sits alongside a broader record that includes Campbell’s Queensland fraud convictions, his 2015 Southport Magistrates Court matters arising from International Solar Solutions, and his 2018 guilty plea to multiple false and misleading conduct offences linked to Eco Boss Pty Ltd. In that case, the magistrate described the conduct as calculated, deliberate and “a scam”.

The police complaint matters not because it determines guilt, but because it forms part of a pattern now documented in public records: repeated allegations of improper conduct followed by court findings, regulatory action or investor dispute. That pattern was central when the Federal Court considered Campbell’s May 2026 affidavits in proceedings brought by Jamie McIntyre.

Federal Court consequences

In Campbell v McIntyre (No 2) [2026] FCA 1279, Justice Derrington found Campbell had failed to disclose a serious criminal history when seeking urgent interim orders. Campbell had sworn that he had never been convicted of a criminal offence in Australia, had never been the subject of criminal prosecution, and had not been ordered to pay substantial fines and compensation in 2018. Those statements were false.

The court later accepted a corrected affidavit, but not before describing the original non-disclosures as “exceptionally serious”. The injunctions Campbell had obtained were discharged and he was ordered to pay 80 per cent of the other side’s legal costs on an indemnity basis, one of the most severe costs outcomes available in Australian litigation.

Justice Derrington also found Campbell had substantially downplayed his criminal history and had led the court to believe he was an Australian resident when he was not. The court further found the claimed $25 million in lost contracts was suffered by companies associated with Campbell, not by Campbell personally.

“Exceptionally serious” was the court’s description of the non-disclosures that underpinned the injunctions.

Complaint sits within wider business trail

The NSW Police complaint is also being viewed against the backdrop of Campbell’s offshore business operations. He is based in Thailand and has been associated with Kinnara Capital, Kinnara Asia and Kinnara Limited, which have marketed South-East Asian property to Australian investors.

The Daily Mail reported in October 2026 that Campbell was linked to a stalled Bali property scheme that had drawn complaints from investors and police attention. According to that report, investors in the project alleged their funds moved through accounts around the world, while structures were reportedly torn down after being built in the wrong location. No charges have been laid in relation to the project.

Campbell has said his convictions are a matter of public record and that he never sought to hide them. He has said his first affidavit was incomplete, that the error was not intentional and was corrected. He has also said he regrets the error and respects the court’s finding.

On the Bali project, Campbell has said Kinnara acted only as a sales and marketing agent, did not hold purchaser funds, lodged its own report with Indonesian police in November 2025 and is co-operating with authorities.

Why the complaint matters

For investigators, regulators and investors, the significance of Event E104942732 is less about any single allegation than about context. It reinforces a record that now includes consumer law convictions, fraud findings, an adverse Federal Court costs order and continuing scrutiny of offshore ventures sold to Australians.

The Federal Court proceedings remain on foot in relation to Campbell’s substantive defamation and consumer law claims, and no findings have been made on those issues. The matter was listed to reconvene on 9 October 2026.

In a sector where promises can be made offshore and consequences felt in Australia, the paper trail has become as important as the pitch. The NSW Police complaint, like the court judgments before it, now forms part of that public record.