Angelo Sinibaldi: Nine data director makes bizarre court claim on speeding charge

A Nine Entertainment data director implied in court his ‘ethnic’ appearance played a role in his speeding fine, while claiming taking his licence would be bad ‘commercially’ for the state.

A data director with a major television network has implied in court his ‘ethnic’ appearance and roots in southwest Sydney may have played a role in a police officer giving him a speeding fine.

Angelo Sinibaldi, 50, from Condell Park today pleaded guilty to exceeding the speed limit by more than 30km/h, less than 45km/h, after being busted by police going between 125-135km/h on the M5 on October 4, 2021.

Documents filed to Bankstown Local Court show that Sinibaldi was driving his Alfa Romeo Brera, approaching King Georges Rd on the M5, where the road shifts to 80km/h.

Representing himself in court, Sinibaldi said he works as a data director for Nine Entertainment Group, and told Magistrate Shane McAnulty he had forgotten how to behave on the roads after four months in lockdowns, calling his actions ‘pure stupidity’.

He said his mother is disabled, and he is her only son and means of transport.

Angelo Sinibaldi exiting Bankstown Local Court on October 6, 2022. Sinibaldi was convicted of speeding after pleading guilty, and implied in court he may have been racially profiled. Picture: Paul Brescia

“If I’m off the road a lot of those transport costs will be shifted onto the government,” Sinibaldi said.

“If I look at it purely from a commercial perspective, we’re all losers in this. I’m the biggest loser, but so is the state government.”

He told the court he was sceptical of the 125-135km/h figure, and said he had his cruise control on, set to 110km/h before he entered the 80 zone.

Sinibaldi said the police officer who nabbed him for speeding was sitting off the motorway at the top of a hill, before pulling out a photo of the officer’s position and showing it in court.

He then started to talk about his ‘ethnic’ appearance and roots in southwest Sydney as factors in being charged before being interrupted by Mr McAnulty, who defended the integrity of local police, and noted officers are similarly convicted when they commit offences.

“I am not questioning their criminality,” Sinibaldi said.

“I’m saying when you look like I do…”

Mr McAnulty told Sinibaldi if he had been doing 110km/h in an 80km/h zone, he still would have been committing the same speeding offence, and that his driving record wasn’t the best he had seen.

Sinibaldi then defended his 35 demerit points in 31 years, stating he had never had his licence disqualified, or had any at-fault accidents, and that he was a taxpayer.

“You may be all of those,” Mr McAnulty responded, before pointing out that he himself had held a licence since 1974 without picking up a single demerit, while he had seen professional truck drivers with no driving offences before the court.

Sinibaldi offered himself to be placed on a good behaviour bond, with a condition to be taken off the road for two years if he broke it.

“That’s a good scenario, everyone wins,” Sinibaldi said.

Mr McAnulty thanked Sinibaldi for the ‘interesting conversation’ before convicting him of the speeding offence, ordering him to pay a fine of $700, and disqualifying his licence for three months.

“I appreciate people suffer from time off the road, but that’s a consequence of decisions you’ve made,” Mr McAnulty said.