Salim Mehajer gets taste of freedom after walking from prison on parole

Salim Mehajer walked from a Sydney prison on Friday morning, giving him his first taste of freedom in almost five years as he made one request.

Disgraced former politician and convicted domestic violence offender Salim Mehajer has walked from prison on parole on Friday morning.

Mehajer exited the gates of John Morony Correctional Centre at Berkshire Park in northwestern Sydney just after 9:30am and into a black Mercedes hire car, giving him his first taste of freedom in almost five years.

A scrum of 16 cameramen and photographers waited outside the prison grounds in the blistering Sydney winter waiting for his release, while a television news chopper hovered overhead.

His first stops after freedom were to Parramatta Westfield, Service NSW for a new drivers’ licence and to a cosmetic dentist in Hornsby to fix his smile after years behind bars, the Daily Mail reported.

Hornsby Dental offers teeth whitening from $549, composite veneers starting at $700 and full mouth implants starting at $24,990 per arch.

He did not stop to speak to waiting media as he left custody, but his lawyer, Zawat Zreika of Zreika Law, told NewsWire the former Auburn Mayor’s concern was primarily for his family.

“Mr Mehajer has now been released from custody,” she said.

“This is a long awaited and deeply personal moment for him and his family.

“He asks that their privacy be respected during this time.”

Disgraced former politician and convicted domestic violence offender Salim Mehajer has walked from prison on parole on Friday morning. Picture: 9News

Mehajer’s first stop after walking from jail was Parramatta Westfield, where he attended a Service NSW centre. Picture: 9News

Salim Mehajer looked markedly different on Friday, having bulked up in prison and sporting longer hair. Picture: 9News

Media crews followed Mehajer to Parramatta Westfield after his release, where he was seen walking out of a Service NSW centre.

He ignored the peppering of questions from waiting journalists, sliding silently back into a waiting car.

The 39-year-old former Auburn deputy mayor was released after the expiry of a non-parole period he was serving for domestic violence and fraud offences.

He has been in prison just short of five years and has served back-to-back sentences for multiple offences.

The State Parole Authority granted his parole on a long list of conditions.

He will have to be of good behaviour, report to a Community Corrections officer, participate in any domestic violence programs where directed, have ongoing treatment from a private psychologist and undergo drug and alcohol testing.

He is also banned from contacting his victim and entering The Central Coast.

As well, he must not have any communication with Outlaw Motorcycle Gang members or associates.

He left John Morony Correctional Complex inside a Mercedes hire car. Picture: NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Salim Mehajer walked free from jail on Friday. Picture: NewsWire/Joel Carrett.

Mehajer was jailed in November 2020 after he was found guilty of two counts of perverting the course of justice and one count of making a false statement under oath.

The case centred on his lies in affidavits and under cross-examination that he used to secure relaxed bail conditions.

In 2023, Mehajer was again found guilty in separate trials for unrelated fraud and domestic violence matters.

Mehajer was sentenced to a maximum of seven years and nine months in jail for both sets of offences.

He was found guilty by a jury of multiple counts of assault, one count of intimidation and one count of suffocation relating to his abuse of an ex-partner.

A large media scrum and news chopper waited hours for Mehajer to be released. Picture: NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

He had spent years in jail after being found guilty of unrelated fraud and domestic violence offences. Picture: NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

He was found guilty of assaulting the woman by punching her in the head during an argument in his car, squeezing her hand and crushing her phone that she was holding, suffocating her by putting his hand over her nose and mouth until she passed out as well as threatening to kill the woman’s mother.

The following month, he was found guilty by a jury of two counts each of making a false document and using a false document.

He was found to have created false statutory declarations and affidavits by forging the signatures of his solicitor, Zali Burrows, and sister.

Mehajer is appealing his conviction for the domestic violence offences and will appear before the Court of Criminal Appeal next month, despite being released from jail.

Last year, Mehajer pleaded guilty to his role in a bizarre staged car crash in an attempt to duck a court appearance.

Salim Mehajer has been banned from The Central Coast. Picture: NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi.

He pleaded guilty to 22 charges, including perverting the course of justice, making a false representation resulting in a police investigation, making a false call for an ambulance and negligent driving.

He admitted to staging the car accident in Sydney’s west in October 2017, with the court hearing that Mehajer orchestrated the incident in a bid to delay his court appearance for an unrelated criminal matter.

He was sentenced to a maximum of two years for the crash offences, with a non-parole period of 16 months.

Originally published as Salim Mehajer gets taste of freedom after walking from prison on parole