Bondi strongman Dimitri Moskovich pleads not guilty to breaching COVID-19 rules
A cult figure known in Bondi for his feats of strength has appeared in court after being dramatically tackled and arrested during the height of the lockdown at Bondi Beach.
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Bondi strongman Dimitri Moskovich wants to fight his charges after being dramatically arrested at Bondi Beach over allegedly breaching coronavirus rules.
Well-known as a cult figure on the famous strip at Bondi’s outdoor gym, a shirtless Mr Moskovich was pinned to the ground by two police officers who claim he became “quarrelsome and argumentative” during the height of the lockdown on April 20.
Police allege the 54-year-old walked through fencing near a rock platform at Ben Buckler Point and ignored local council signs stating the area was closed.
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Mr Moskovich appeared in Waverley Local Court on Tuesday and entered not guilty pleas to two charges of resisting an officer in the execution of duty and failing to comply with the terms of a notice erected by a council.
The case was adjourned and he will return to court next month.
Video footage of the arrest shows about a dozen people standing around and filming the incident while Mr Moskovich had his hands pulled behind his back.
He previously claimed to The Daily Telegraph he had not breached any public health order because the rocks at Ben Buckler were not off limits.
“I said ‘hey guys how are you?’,” Mr Moskovich said.
“I was on my way home to have lunch with my wife ... they jumped on me like crazy … I said: ‘Don’t put handcuffs on me I’m not a criminal’.”
Mr Moskovich claimed police left him with a cut on his head and cuffed his wrist so tightly it left a mark.
“The silly cop was doing everything to try and hurt me ... pulling a cuff into my bone,” he said.
Bondi Beach re-opened to a limit of 500 people in May.