Florida realtor Julian Galbraith Johnston denies responsibility for demolition of Fleurieu Peninsula shacks by George Lavrentiadis

Accused in court of masterminding a plot to destroy two century-old shacks for his development, a Florida real estate agent to the stars has fired back.

• Court told why shack was demolished

The US realtor blamed, in court, for the destruction of two century-old Fleurieu Peninsula fishing shacks has rejected the accusation, saying his employee “took it upon himself” to act.

Adelaide-born Florida-based real estate agent Julian Galbraith Johnston has told The Advertiser he paid George Lavrentiadis $5000 – but says it was only to “clean up debris” from the clifftop property.

Mr Johnston, who has never been charged with a criminal offence, claimed to have received “60 to 80 death threats” and insisted the shack’s purported owners did not have a valid lease – a suggestion they fiercely deny.

Miami real estate agent Julian Johnston. Picture: Instagram

George Lavrentiadis leaving the second shack that was demolished. Picture: Barry Robertson

He also accused SA Police of harassing his family “up against a wall with guns out” during their investigations into Lavrentiadis, and said he “won’t let that stand”.

“I had paid George to do clean-up because there was debris on the property – George took it upon himself to start taking down the shacks that were on the property – and I paid George to dump some stuff,” he claimed.

“There was no communication between me and George about removing stuff and keeping it, I said ‘if there’s anything personal there, just leave it, don’t touch it’.

“The cops, they raided my brothers’ places, they had them up against the wall with guns out, they were harassing my family and continued to visit them, harassing them.

“I’m filing a huge lawsuit against them, the cops, everyone … it’s a complete miscarriage of justice and a complete abuse of police power … I won’t let that stand.”

Mr Johnston was born in Adelaide, and is based in Florida. Picture: Instagram

Mr Johnston’s social media accounts claim he has recorded more than $7b in sales. Picture: Instagram

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

At the time, the shacks – on Crown land by the Heysen Trail, overlooking Kangaroo Island – were at the centre of a dispute between three parties.

Barry Robertson and a timeshare group have claimed, in court and in public, they owned the structures through long-time family use and arrangements with the state government.

Mr Johnston claimed they were unlawful dwellings next to his $900,000 block, on which he intended to build a $2m home.

On Tuesday, counsel for Lavrentiadis told the District Court their client was paid $5000 by Mr Johnston, and had failed to ascertain the shacks’ legality before demolition.

He will be sentenced later this month.

On Wednesday, Mr Johnston told The Advertiser he and his family had suffered greatly due to the dispute.

“I was looking to build a property for my parents (who) put four kids through private school with great sacrifice … we had a great upbringing, this was my way of saying thank you,” he said.

He said he bought the block “sight unseen” from a realtor who told him the shacks “had been abandoned for a long time”.

He “totally embraced” providing walkers with access to the “amazing, beautiful” Heysen Trail, but would not permit cars to drive across his property.

George Lavrentiadis is awaiting sentencing for demolishing the shacks. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

Barry Robertson claims his family owned one of the demolished shacks. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“I have a Freedom of Information application that says no one owns them (the shacks), they do not have a lease, they never applied for a lease and have never paid rent,” he said.

“What they have paid is council rates … if I pay your council rates for six years, can I come into your back yard and say it’s mine?”

Mr Robertson and the timeshare group strongly reject this suggestion.

Mr Johnston said he disputes that the shack users have ownership, and that he made an offer of $200,000 to resolve the dispute, which was rejected.

Media coverage of the case had, he said, been harmful.

“I’m not rich, I don’t drive a Ferrari, I donate hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to charities and have been the president of charity causes,” he said.

“Yet none of that gets mentioned … I’ve had 60 to 80 death threats, for two years … I’m just asking that the true facts get published.”

The Advertiser has sought comment from SA Police.

Originally published as Florida realtor Julian Galbraith Johnston denies responsibility for demolition of Fleurieu Peninsula shacks by George Lavrentiadis