A former government senator could face jail if he does not repay outstanding rent arrears.

Curtis Richardson was not present in court when magistrate Aura Cassidy issued a committal warrant stating that he must hand over $900 — equating to three missed monthly resettlement payments — within seven days.

The move represents the latest twist in a long-running legal saga in which Margaret Harvey, who is in her seventies, is seeking to have the ex-Progressive Labour Party senator repay $17,616.34 he still owes her in rent arrears.

Speaking after the hearing, Mrs Harvey told The Royal Gazette: “I am just so tired and stressed by this. I just want it to end.”

The court heard that Mr Richardson had failed to pay Mrs Harvey the agreed instalments to clear his debt of $300 a month for October and December 2022, and February 2023. Payments for other recent months had been made.

Ms Cassidy also dismissed a challenge brought by Mr Richardson to have the amount of money he owed reduced by deducting an unreturned $2,500 security deposit from it.

Mrs Harvey had said on previous occasions that the deposit was kept due to repairs that were needed to the property after the ex-senator moved out.

Mr Richardson resigned as a senator after the Supreme Court heard in January 2022 that he owed Mrs Harvey more than $19,000 in rent since he was served a notice to quit her property in March 2020.

He refused to leave the dwelling until the next year while offering only sporadic payments, even though he was made a senator by David Burt, the Premier, in October 2020.

Mr Burt appointed Mr Richardson to the Upper House and as a junior minister despite a number of warnings about the mounting debt situation being relayed to him by the Harvey family.

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