Salim Mehajer arrested for crashing car and breaching AVO
WHEN Salim Mehajer’s estranged wife Aysha Learmonth left her apartment on the hunt for some late-night McDonalds on Sunday night, she was allegedly confronted by the sight of her former husband’s white Audi Q7 in the laneway behind her home.
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WHEN Salim Mehajer’s estranged wife Aysha Learmonth left her apartment on the hunt for some late-night McDonalds on Sunday night, she was allegedly confronted by the sight of her former husband’s white Audi Q7 in the laneway behind her home in contravention of a police AVO against him.
Mehajer, 31, faced Burwood Local Court today on two charges relating to the AVO — one pertaining to him allegedly driving to the laneway behind her home, and another to a since-deleted post of them in happier times to his Instagram.
According to a police statement tendered to the court, Learmonth fled when she saw the car she believed belonged to her former husband.
“As I walked into the rear yard, I saw a white Audi Q7 drive down the laneway towards me. I did not see who was driving the vehicle.
“I immediately felt scared for my safety, because I believed Salim was driving and would have no good reason for being there at that time of the morning.”
Mehajer’s lawyer George Thomas — one of a four-man legal team representing the embattled former deputy mayor of Auburn — told the court in relation to the Instagram post of him and Learmonth, his client had fallen victim to the same issue that befell Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne last week.
“If he was Christopher Pyne that had his email hacked, perhaps that would change the perception of the matter. But he’s not Christopher Pyne, he’s Mr Mehajer,” said Thomas, adding that Mehajer planned to plead guilty on the count relating to the photo-sharing app.
The court heard that Mehajer needed to be at liberty in order that he prepare his defence for his upcoming legal battles and complete work on a $130 million dollar development.
“Its 160 units and 60 retail shops. They are in the process of selling these units, there are creditors involved,” he said.
The property developer was granted “very strict” conditional bail tantamount to “house arrest”, including a $10,000 surety, thrice-weekly reporting to the police station in his new suburb of Rose Bay and avoiding the suburb of Kingsgrove where his estranged wife resides.
Mehajer was also ordered to surrender his passport, which he has already done on an earlier charge.
Mehajer paid his surety and walked out of court at 5.30pm.
In granting bail, Magistrate Joy Boulos considered Mehajer’s “limited” criminal history, including a charge of assaulting a taxi driver and stealing his phone, and a charge of assaulting Seven reporter Laura Banks.
Although his lawyer proposed Mehajer give up Instagram entirely as a bail condition, Magistrate Boulos mandated only that he not use it or any other social media platforms to contact his ex-wife.
An uncharacteristically subdued Mehajer was silent in court as he was granted bail, only nodding when the magistrate asked if he understood.
A hooded, thong-wearing Mehajer was transported to Burwood local court in a police paddy wagon earlier today after his arrest overnight at the scene of a car crash in Sydney’s southwest.
Mehajer was heard screaming his estranged wife’s name ‘Aysha’ after the crash with a woman’s car at 1am in Kingsgrove at which he was arrested and later charged by police with dangerous driving and breaching an AVO.
A couple, Carlos Ramos and Sophie McGee, said they woke to an expletive-laden tirade.
“The crash didn’t wake me, he did,” Ms McGee, who rang police, said.
The couple said it appeared two men had been in a white Audi which parked across the westbound lane of Moorefields Rd, Kingsgrove blocking the path of the woman’s Toyota Corolla.
She said Mehajer dismissed police when they arrived, telling them: “nobody has died here, what’s your problem?”.
Mehajer, 31, was arrested after the 1am crash and taken to Campsie Police Station.
He was later charged with two counts of breaching an apprehended violence order taken out by estranged wife Aysha and one count of dangerous driving and refused bail.
His lawyer said he was not worried about the controversial former deputy mayor of Auburn.
Speaking outside Burwood Court House, Abbas said he thought Mehajer was fine.
“I’m sure he’s in good hands,” he said, admitting he and Mehajer had not actually spoken.
Last week, Mehajer told a court that the pair are still happily married despite their much-publicised split.
He said their apparent separation is just a ruse to keep her out of the media spotlight.
“She wants to get out of the media and she acts like she is not with me but she is with me,” Mehajer told a Sydney court.
“We are not (separated), we are still together, we are talking.”
News the couple are still together and are talking comes as a surprise given police were granted an extension of a temporary apprehended violence order against Mehajer on behalf his wife earlier this month.
As part of the AVO conditions Mehajer is not allowed to contact or approach Aysha. A final decision on a permanent AVO is scheduled for March next year.
He’s also launched a quest on social media to find a new PA. “Role is a sophisticated personal assistant”, Mahajer writes.
“Bonuses available. No tattoos on body of boys. Good luck! Salim”.
Mehajer was in the headlines again at the weekend when his sister Aisha married John Ibrahim’s nephew Sam Sayour at the Merrylands home of the Kings Cross nightclub baron’s mother.
The nuptials went ahead despite the shooting of Ibrahim’s long-time bodyguard Semi ‘Tongan Sam’ Ngata who was targeted in the lead-up to a family wedding party on Friday.
Ngata, 59, is refusing to talk to police over the shooting with officers now not certain if he was actually shot at the Merrylands address as they were earlier informed.