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Salim Mehajer fronts court over estranged wife Aysha’s AVO

WEARING a dark grey suit, white shirt, black tie and sporting a beard, Salim Mehajer has appeared before a Sydney court for the first time to answer charges of breaching an apprehended violence order taken out by his estranged wife.

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BANKRUPTED former property developer Salim Mehajer has appeared before a Sydney court for the first time to answer charges of breaching an apprehended violence order taken out by his estranged wife.

Wearing a dark grey suit, white shirt, black tie and sporting a beard, Mehajer, 31, faced Burwood Local Court today as he prepares for a string of court hearings this week.

Salim Mehajer is led into Burwood court this morning. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts
Salim Mehajer is led into Burwood court this morning. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

The disgraced former Auburn deputy mayor is facing two days of hearings in relation to breaching an AVO not to contact Aysha Learmonth when on November 10 last year he tagged her in an Instagram post recalling happier times and allegedly parking his car at the rear of her apartment.

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The Instagram post was later deleted with Mehajer claiming his account was hacked while no explanation has been offered as why his estranged wife believed he was parked outside the rear of her apartment.

Mehajer is accused of breaching an apprehended violence order taken out by his estranged wife Aysha.
Mehajer is accused of breaching an apprehended violence order taken out by his estranged wife Aysha.

The court heard today that Ms Learmonth doesn’t want to be in the same room as him when she gives evidence.

But Mehajer is opposing an application by prosecutors for Ms Learmonth to instead give evidence via video link, with his lawyer saying she is grandstanding and being “nothing more than a drama queen”.

Tomorrow Mehajer is expected to face a hearing on charges of dangerous driving and two counts stalk or intimidate with intent to cause fear or physical harm after police arrested him at 1am on November 20 in Kingsgrove.

Later this week Mehajer will appear in court to face fresh charges of dealing prescription medication at Burwood Local Court.

Salim Mehajer faces two days of hearings over the AVO. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Salim Mehajer faces two days of hearings over the AVO. Picture: AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Salim Mehajer's estranged wife Aysha claims Mehajer was parked behind her home.
Salim Mehajer's estranged wife Aysha claims Mehajer was parked behind her home.

Mehajer is currently on remand over charges of attempting to defraud an insurance company after he allegedly staged a car crash in October last year to avoid a court appearance in his electoral fraud case.

He has been charged with perverting the course of justice and conspiring to cheat or defraud his car insurer.

The new charges relate to dozens of tablets of the powerful anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam and heavy-duty painkillers Targin and Endone which were found during a November 8 raid on his Lidcombe­ home as detectives gathered evidence on the car crash.

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The court battles continue a horror start to 2018 for the once-high flying property developer with the Federal Court last week declaring him bankrupt after the liquidator of his failed company SM Projects served him with a bankruptcy notice via email in September last year over a $200,000 debt.

On March 1 the disgraced former councillor copped his second criminal conviction in the space of a week after he was sentenced for assaulting a taxi driver, smashing a woman’s mobile phone in April 2017.

A week prior he had been convicted of assaulting Channel 7 journalist Laura Banks but the court imposed no extra punishment on that charge.

His matter continues before Burwood Local Court today.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/salim-mehajer-fronts-court-over-estranged-wife-ayshas-avo/news-story/b43572dd693ce94a92c2824d0c834e23