Corrections bungle means pub baron Phillip De Angelis avoids punishment for domestic violence court order breach
A bungle by Corrective Services has allowed the Sydney millionaire playboy who attacked his former girlfriend socialite Nellie Tilley to avoid punishment — such as going to jail — despite breaching his court order.
NSW
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A bungle by Corrective Services has allowed the Sydney millionaire playboy who attacked his former girlfriend socialite Nellie Tilley to avoid punishment, such as going to jail, despite breaching his court order.
Phillip De Angelis, 39, the nephew of pub baron Arthur Laundy promised the court he would refrain from drugs and alcohol for two years when he pleaded guilty to five counts of domestic violence, including common assault, against Ms Tilley in 2015 and 2016.
He was placed on an intensive corrections order in March last year agreeing to undergo testing by his doctor and to refrain from drinking or taking illicit substances.
But on December 17 last year he was caught drink-driving in Surry Hills while talking on his phone with a reading of .086 and pleaded guilty.
It was a clear breach of his intensive corrections order but Corrective Services failed to tell the State Parole Board until January 31 — the day after The Daily Telegraph asked why the breach had not been dealt with.
“While Corrections policy required that a breach report be submitted soon after the offence, this did not occur, and the staff involved have been counselled to ensure this does not happen again. Otherwise, the offender’s supervision was strictly in accordance with policy,’’ a spokeswoman said on Sunday.
“Corrective Services NSW on Friday 31 January lodged a breach report with the State Parole Authority after a 39-year-old offender failed to comply with the conditions of his Intensive Corrections Order.”
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Police have a system in place which automatically informs Corrective Services of any breach. Going to jail is one of the punishment options for breaching the conditions of an intensive corrections order.
It’s the third time De Angelis has been caught drink driving.
In 2013 he was let off by the courts without a conviction after being charged with supplying cocaine of a small indictable quantity.
Again the conditions imposed by the court were that he not partake of drugs and enter rehabilitation.
De Angelis, who belongs to one of the most powerful pub families in the country, escaped going to jail for his attacks on Ms Tilley when a magistrate sentenced him to home detention for 18 months in his $4 million Bondi beachfront apartment.
That sentence was slashed on appeal to just one day of community service a week and the ban on drugs and alcohol until September this year, which was to be monitored by his own doctor.
Community Corrections, which is in charge of ensuring he adheres to his intensive corrections order and failed to notify the authorities of his breach, have now recommended that he be allowed to stay free and not have the matter dealt with until after he is sentenced in March at Waverley Court for drink-driving and talking on his mobile phone at the same time.
“Community Corrections have requested that the SPA delay consideration of revocation until the matters at Waverley Local Court are finalised,” the state parole authority said in a statement.
His matter is listed before the parole authority on Monday.
De Angelis was initially charged with more than 20 offences relating to assaults and intimidation, including choking Ms Tilley during and after their relationship ended.
During one of the incidents, he threw a lighter at the 54-year-old eastern suburbs socialite, hitting her on the face.
The injury left her needing plastic surgery, but has still left a permanent scar, which she had to show the court during one of the hearings.
Ms Tilley, of Double Bay was married to Simon Tilley, whose family has a close association with the Packers.
“This person has no respect for the law,’’ victims advocate Howard Brown said of De Angelis. “How he escaped a prison sentence in the first place is disgraceful.’’
Mr Brown said he feared that any further potential delays to De Angelis’ sentencing date could mean his intensive corrections order may actually hit its September expiration date before he could be penalised for breaching it.
De Angelis did not appear in court to plead guilty to the drink-driving charge.