Former barrister Christian Roger de Robillard charged with trespassing, resisting arrest at Bondi Junction Apple Store

A former Sydney barrister had to be ‘carried by the legs’ and forced into the back of a police van after allegedly refusing to leave an Apple store he was previously banned from, a court heard.

Christian Roger de Robillard pleaded not guilty to one count of trespassing and resisting or hindering an arrest.

A former barrister had to be “carried by the legs” and into the back of a police van, with officers using “additional force” to remove him from an Apple store in the eastern suburbs, a court heard.

Christian Roger de Robillard, 71, faced Waverley Local Court on Friday after pleading not guilty to one count of trespassing and resisting or hindering an arrest.

In 1996 de Robillard gained national attention by almost becoming the attorney general of Vanuatu, only to be jailed for six weeks on contempt charges, before the decision was overturned.

On Friday, the court heard de Robillard was arrested inside the Bondi Junction Apple store on April 10 2024. He had been banned from the store following an “incident” the previous December.

Sydney lawyer Christian Roger de Robillard.

Body worn footage played to the court showed the store manager presenting police with a copy of de Robillard’s banned notice, before pointing him out toward the back of the store.

De Robillard is shown arguing with police, claiming he had been invited in store by an Apple worker to discuss a “contractual dispute”.

The footage showed de Robillard remaining in the store, before a senior constable stated she’d “had enough” and proceeded to grab his arm and escort him out, before placing him under arrest.

de Robillard was arrested inside the Apple store.

Once outside, de Robillard continued arguing with officers and ignored their direction to enter the back of the police car.

The vision showed both officers grab de Robillard by the legs and forcibly place him into the back of the vehicle.

De Robillard, who represented himself in court, argued the police officers involved in his case were “acting at the behest of Apple”, by intervening in a longstanding civil matter he and the company were embroiled in.

He further argued the court proceedings were “an abuse of process and powers” by NSW Police who removed him from the store without basis at ”the behest of Apple”.

De Robillard also doubled down on the position he’d been invited to the store over email to resolve a contractual dispute.

Magistrate George Zdenkowski told the court he was “concerned about the red herrings” being raised by de Robillard.

“Lurking behind this case is the allegation of criminal conduct by Apple, there’s no evidence police did anything at behest of Apple,” he said

de Robillard pictured returning to Sydney from Vanuatu in 1996.

Earlier in the proceedings, Magistrate Zdenkowski also gently reminded de Robillard the hearing was “not a Royal Commission into how police conduct themselves”.

During cross examination, one of the arresting officers said he planned to issue de Robillard with an infringement and move-on order but stated “he kept telling us he wasn’t going to leave”.

“As we were trying to walk him out of the store he was squirming and placing his feet in front of him to try and push backward,” he said

“We had to use additional force to get him out of the Apple store.”

De Robillard told the court he had never been served a copy of the suspension notice, and stated there was “not an ounce of evidence” that he’d been told he wasn’t allowed in the store.

De Robillard also suggested that police misinterpreted his manner as aggressive.

Magistrate Zdenkowski replied “there was a dispute and the temperature was rising and I don’t think it has anything to do with your personality, ethnicity or culture”.

The matter will return for further hearing on May 25 at Waverley Local Court.