A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello in court over TV stunt take-down on Oak Capital financial executive Mo Ahmed

A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello has been accused of “mental, psychological or emotional harm” after allegedly chasing down a financial executive in a TV stunt.

A Current Affair has been dragged into the Supreme Court after a Melbourne businessman claimed its top reporter Seb Costello and a cameraman assaulted him and chased him into a toilet cubicle.

Both Costello and the cameraman are understood to have been stood down pending further internal inquiries.

Oak Capital executive Mo Ahmed sought an urgent interlocutory injunction before Justice Richard Attiwell on Thursday to stop Nine from airing the footage during the TV bounce at his Rialto offices on Monday.

A writ, filed with the court by Mr Ahmed, alleges Costello, son of former Nine Entertainment chairman and federal treasurer Peter Costello, “physically shoved, pushed and tripped” him.

Mr Ahmed claimed Costello and his cameraman entered the Oak Capital headquarters on Collins St on Monday, refusing his requests to leave.

The executive said he then fled the building, seeking cover inside a cubicle in the public toilets at the nearby InterContinental Hotel.

A Current Affair reporter Seb Costello is in hot water again. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

But Mr Ahmed, in the court documents, alleges the TV crew filmed him while inside the closed cubicle in an invasion of privacy described as “highly offensive to a reasonable person with ordinary sensibilities”.

“The conduct of Mr Costello and the cameraman caused Mr Ahmed detriment in the form of mental, psychological or emotional harm or distress and hindered Mr Ahmed from doing a lawful act being the entry into his workplace and the exercise of his right to decline to participate in a television interview,” the writ stated.

“On each occasion of physical contact, the conduct of Mr Costello and the cameraman in physically shoving, pushing and/or tripping Mr Ahmed reasonably caused (him to) believe he was in danger of immediate harm.”

In a statement, Nine said: “While we are aware of a range of allegations made against Nine by an individual representing a company facing legal proceedings commenced by ASIC, we believe the legal claim has no basis.”

Business owner Peter Aquino is a key witness for ASIC in their action against Oak Capital and alleges he has lost multiple properties after dealing with Mr Ahmed.

Mr Aquino was with the Nine news crew when they tried to confront Mr Ahmed and question him for a story on Monday.

“I can’t thank ACA enough and thank Seb Costello enough,” Mr Aquino said.

“Losing my business was like losing my child.”

William Houghton, KC, for Mr Ahmed, had applied for the interlocutory injunction, but it did not have to go ahead, with Nine agreeing in court to sign an undertaking that they would not air the footage, or attend or film at Mr Ahmed’s business until further order.

Mr Houghton told the court that correspondence received from Nine also had false information about his client, including that he has a criminal record.

“Now that’s simply incorrect,” Mr Houghton said. “Mr Ahmed does not have any criminal convictions.

“He’s never been subject to any penalty meted out to him in the County Court (like they have indicated).”

Costello has been involved in on-air clashes with identities including Ricky Nixon. Picture: Channel 9

Oak Capital is separately under investigation by the corporate regulator over allegations of “unconscious conduct” related to over $37 million in loans issued in 2019 – 2023 void of consumer credit protections.

“Oak Capital strongly refutes all ASIC’s allegations and we will defend our position,” the mortgage lender said in a statement.

Mr Ahmed is not personally accused of any wrongdoing.

Oak Capital and Mr Ahmed are pursuing Nine, Costello and the unnamed cameraman for damages.

Justice Attiwell ordered that Nine identify who the cameraman was.

The case was adjourned to February.

Costello himself is no stranger to confrontation, having previously been charged with two counts of unlawful assault offences and involved in on-air clashes with identities including Ricky Nixon. At the time, the magistrate gave Costello a six-month good behaviour bond without conviction and ordered him to pay $750 to a court fund.

His father Peter’s reign on the board of the media company came to an abrupt end this year after he clashed with a journalist peppering him with questions at Canberra Airport.