Former missing Olympian facing fraud charges appears in Victoria court
VICTORIA — An investment dealer and former Olympic rower who went missing for nearly 18 months made a brief appearance in a Victoria court Tuesday and had his case adjourned to May 2.
Harold Backer, who stared straight ahead during his time in court, was remanded until his next appearance.
Victoria police say Backer is facing two counts of fraud over $5,000 after he turned up at the department’s headquarters last Thursday.
The 54-year-old man disappeared on Nov. 3, 2015, after telling his family he was going for a bike ride, but failed to return home.