Salim Mehajer locked in cell 23 hours per day as he awaits sentencing, court told

The tough jail conditions disgraced property developer Salim Mehajer is experiencing have been detailed in court today.

Disgraced property developer Salim Mehajer has been confined to a jail cell for 23 hours a day as he awaits sentence for perverting the course of justice, a court has been told.

A sentence hearing for Mehajer was on Wednesday told he had been separated from other prisoners at Long Bay for the past five months because of his “public notoriety”, with the only time out of his cell spent in a protected yard.

The former Auburn deputy mayor faces yet more time behind bars after he was found guilty at trial last year of lying in affidavits used to secure relaxed bail conditions in other court matters dating back to 2017.

Salim Mehajer has been in custody since November. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Judge Peter Zahra in October convicted Mehajer of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of making a false statement under oath.

The now 34-year-old had claimed he needed to be on bail to fulfil his job as a building manager, a position the court was told he never held.

At the Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, barrister Evan James conceded Mehajer had disrespected the justice system but said the offending must be seen in context of his mental health issues.

Mr James said his client had been diagnosed with bipolar and was in “clear need of comprehensive and long-term treatment”.

“He has spent his time in custody in isolation due to his public notoriety and that which has flowed from it,” he said.

The court was told that Mehajer’s time in custody had been grim. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“He’s in his cell for 23 hours a day. He’s not permitted to mix with the general population. When he’s let out, he’s let out into a protected yard.”

Mr James said it was clear the crimes were ones that “call for punishment” but argued, despite Mehajer’s criminal history, it could be served under strict supervision in the community.

The court was also told the Mehajer clan were in danger of “losing the family home” if their most famous member was locked up long term.

Judge Zahra said his reading on the case was Mehajer lied so he could be at liberty to “claw back” his business interests, including a property he was in danger of losing control over as liquidators moved in.

The judge said the Lidcombe man’s claims were not haphazard and involved careful planning, showing “he has a total disregard for the courts and believes they can be manipulated for his own purposes at any time”.

He will be sentenced next month. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

A psychological report tendered as evidence in court suggested Mehajer may have been experiencing “grandiose” ideas about himself due to his bipolar at the time of the offences.

The crown prosecutor said although Mehajer’s mental health battles may be true, his actions struck at the “bases of our system of justice” and warranted stern punishment.

“The conduct of the offender could not be portrayed as impulsive,” he said.

“They were carefully planned, they were elaborate and detailed. And they were persistently dishonest.

“He knew what he was saying was completely false.”

Mr James said Mehajer, who appeared in court on screen from prison, had experienced a true fall from grace and would be “haunted” by negative media reports about his crimes.

He will learn his fate when Judge Zahra hands down his sentence on April 23.