Secret tape handed over to Victoria Police

Ultra Tune boss Sean Buckley has been caught up in a legal stoush after a secret phone recording of the tycoon – made by his then-partner – was handed to authorities.

Sean Buckley (right) with former girlfriend Jennifer Cruz Cole.

Ultra Tune boss Sean Buckley has been caught up in a legal stoush after a secret phone recording of the tycoon was handed to authorities.

Mr Buckley, a Melbourne multi-millionaire who now lives in a Gold Coast penthouse, has launched legal action to stop about 100 recordings of him being released.

His ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Cruz Cole, a model who lives and works in Melbourne and who took part in some of Ultra Tune’s racy commercials, made the recordings in the latter part of their relationship, which ended in December.

The Saturday Herald Sun has been told the recording was given to Victoria Police, which did not want to comment on the case.

The recordings are also the subject of Federal Court action taken by Mr Buckley, who wants them destroyed.

It is understood police have spoken with Ms Cole and two of Mr Buckley’s former Melbourne-based business associates.

Jimmy “Mr Vegas” Seoud, who once ran Gold Coast strip club Toybox Showgirls for Mr Buckley before a fallout, and Anthony Swords, a former managing director of Gattocorp who worked for Ultra Tune for two years, are also in dispute with the car repair magnate.

Mr Seoud said the recordings were concerning.

Police have also spoken with Mr Swords about Mr Buckley and the recordings.

“I won’t be backing down from the bloke or his lawyers. His money and his lawyers don’t scare me,’’ Mr Swords said.

He said after listening to the recording he felt “sick to his stomach’’.

Mr Swords said he passed on the recording to Mr Seoud, citing that he felt obligated to.

Although Mr Swords parted ways with Ultra Tune Australia as a risk manager in December, he said he remains employed by Ultra Tune Thoroughbreds, which owns racehorses. He says his employment resulted in him taking stress leave.

Lawyers for Mr Buckley have threatened legal action over the covert recordings.

But they have been unable to convince Mr Swords to sign a declaration requiring him to retrieve and destroy any audio recordings.

A lawyer for Mr Buckley said the recordings were illegal. “It’s illegal recording without his consent and he is looking at taking action against her (Ms Cole) for that,” the lawyer said.

“He (Mr Buckley) doesn’t fear anything on there — it’s normal girlfriend-boyfriend stuff, mood swings, fights, what can you say?

“He just thinks it is part of trying to get money … to hold them against him, but it won’t work.”

Mr Buckley was “shocked” by the recordings being made, the lawyer said, alleging: “They are private tapes made without his knowledge. They are not accurate, we think they have been cut and spliced.

“There will be a police complaint laid and police will get involved.”

Mr Buckley’s lawyers have applied to the Federal Court for an injunction to prevent release of the recordings.

Ms Cole, who was employed as an Ultra Tune ambassador, is no longer working for the company.

She met Mr Buckley more than 10 years ago when appearing in an original Ultra Tune “Unexpected Situations” TV ad before beginning a relationship years later after meeting at Crown casino.

Apart from his horse racing interests, Mr Buckley has been a supporter of boxing tournaments.