George Lavrentiadis sentenced for knocking down shacks with million-dollar views at Deep Creek, allegedly for US celeb realtor Julian Johnston

The man who knocked down two century-old salmon shacks with million-dollar views – allegedly for a US-based celeb realtor – has been sentenced.

A father “destroyed long-held family history” when he completely gutted two multimillion-dollar seaside properties as a favour for a US celebrity realtor, a court has heard.

George Lavrentiadis, 51, appeared in the District Court for sentencing on Thursday after pleading guilty to two counts of property damage.

Judge Heath Barklay said Lavrentiadis, a father of two, had been paid $5000 to demolish two shacks at Deep Creek that were “blocking” his friend Julian Galbraith Johnston’s horizon view from a nearby property.

“Mr Johnston told you that the shacks were built illegally,” Judge Barklay said.

“You took away the place that they loved, as had generations before them, and you destroyed that piece of history for them.

George Lavrentiadis leaves District Court after an earlier appearance. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

“To have failed to conduct some basic inquiries of your own and get some basic permissions to do what you did was, in my view, reprehensible.

“Although there is a fine line between knowledge and recklessness, there is a difference, and it is in your favour.”

Lavrentiadis, 51, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of damaging property over the June 22, 2022 demolition.

Two weeks ago, Lavrentiadis’ counsel told the court their client was paid $5000 to do so by Adelaide-born, US-based celebrity realtor Mr Johnston.

The real estate agent was, at the time of the demolition, involved in a dispute with the shacks’ purported owners over their legal status, as they were on Crown land.

Mr Johnston, who is building a $2 million property on private land behind the site of the shacks, has vehemently denied Lavrentiadis’ claim, saying he paid only for “debris removal”.

In a victim impact statement earlier read to the court, Barry Robertson – whose family had owned one of the shacks since 1957 – said Lavrentiadis had turned his “happy place into a nightmare”.

“I had been going to that shack since I was 10 years old,” Mr Robertson said. “It wasn’t just a shelter; it was a part of me – a place of peace, history, and connection that grounded me for decades. Without any warning or opportunity to collect my possessions, my entire world was destroyed.

“You erased four generations of memories of my family for a measly $5000.

“I have received a quotation to rebuild the shack. As it now needs to be built in accordance with modern-day standards, the quotation to rebuild is far in excess of $400,000.”

On Thursday, Judge Barklay sentenced Lavrentiadis was to one year, one month and ten days imprisonment, which was suspended upon him entering into an 18-month good behaviour bond.