Dimitri Kentrotis: Security guards Bondi Junction home, Reserve Hotels feud
The latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between factions of the Reserve Hotels $100 million pub empire has seen one man hire permanent muscle to guard his family home each night, a court has heard.
Wentworth Courier
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The latest chapter in an ongoing dispute between factions of the Reserve Hotels $100 million pub empire has seen one man hire permanent muscle to guard his family home each night.
The court heard Dimitri Kentrotis, accused of possessing a firearm and using the mobile phone app Wikr to menace and harass, had employed security to stand guard each night of his Bondi Junction home as a result of hostilities between the divided family.
The 41-year-old father, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is accused of threatening employees loyal to his father-in-law Nick Balagiannis.
The court had previously heard as part of the explosive family feud Kentrotis and Mr Balagiannis’s wife Sue and daughters Angelique and Mary were ousted from the Reserve Hotels board after a disagreement over a $60 million property sale.
In Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday Kentrotis applied to change his bail conditions, which include daily reporting to police and a nightly curfew, due to the impact on his mental health.
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His lawyer told the court the ‘heat’ in the family feud had cooled since the Bondi Junction man had been granted bail in July, but the police prosecutor said the fact Kentrotis had hired security “flies in the face” of any claim tensions have cooled.
Kentrotis’ lawyer also spoke of the mental health impacts of the bail conditions with his client diagnosed with PTSD following an encounter with a tsunami and, on another occasion, being assaulted by police officers in Victoria two decades ago.
“It’s just reached the point unfortunately where (the police interaction) is continuing to be detrimental,” he said. “Really that’s the motivation behind the application (to vary bail).”
The strength of the police case was also questioned with Kentrotis’ lawyer telling the court the only evidence supporting the allegations are made from witnesses on the other side of the feud. The court also heard the threatening messages had been deleted and unable to be retrieved.
Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson wiped the curfew bail condition after finding no link to the time of day of the alleged crimes and reduced reporting to three days a week
The hearing will take place next year.