A Sydney mayor told police her property director partner pinned her to a bed, knocked her off her feet and smashed several pieces of furniture.
The Herald can reveal police served Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon’s ex-partner Matthew Bennett with an interim apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO) over the alleged events, over which Bennett has not been criminally charged.
Liberal Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon and her estranged partner Matthew Bennett.Credit: Facebook
Bennett’s legal team fought to keep the allegations secret, before backing out of a legal fight against this masthead.
They sit alongside separate claims that McMahon went to Bennett’s office at night and searched his computer over infidelity suspicions.
McMahon, the 2022 federal Liberal candidate for Australia’s most marginal electorate, was served her own interim ADVO over that incident and has also not been criminally charged.
Bennett allegedly punched walls and pinned McMahon to a bed
The ADVO documents released by Windsor Local Court state McMahon and Bennett were in a six-year relationship until late 2023 before becoming “on-again-off-again”.
While they lived in a Richmond home from March 2019 to Easter 2022, Bennett allegedly punched a hole in the wall.
After they moved to a separate Richmond address in 2022, Bennett allegedly punched another hole in a wall, kicked a wooden panel out of a desk and smashed a clothing divider, collectively causing more than $1000 worth of damage.
McMahon was until recently a NSW Liberal Party vice president.Credit: Facebook
Sometime in 2023, he allegedly swung a Nike bag at McMahon, knocking her off her feet and hurting her thigh. Bennett allegedly yelled at McMahon to “get up and stop faking it”.
In June this year, he allegedly threw a glass at a kitchen wall during an argument and separately pinned McMahon to the bed while shouting at her.
McMahon went to Windsor police station on July 15 to make a statement about the alleged incidents, fearing violence and an assault by Bennett.
Under the interim ADVO, police ordered Bennett not to assault, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate McMahon or anyone she has a domestic relationship with and not damage their property.
McMahon allegedly entered office at night and searched partner’s laptop
A separate incident caused police to serve McMahon with an interim ADVO, naming Bennett in need of protection.
According to the ADVO documents, McMahon went to the homes of both Bennett’s mother and sister on June 14, looking for him over a suspected affair.
She sent a photo of Bennett’s sister’s place on WhatsApp at 8.02pm before travelling to his friend’s Castlereagh home.
After more than an hour of searching for him she allegedly entered the BCM Property office in Richmond, where Bennett is managing director, through an unlocked door.
Realising Bennett was not there, she allegedly went through his laptop for evidence he was cheating on her.
She allegedly sent Bennett a photo of the computer, prompting him to check his CCTV cameras to confirm she was at the property.
Police arrived at 9.34pm and McMahon was arrested and put in the back of a police car, according to the documents.
Bennett told police he was fearful for his safety but did not provide a statement because he did not want to ruin McMahon’s career.
However, he did not want McMahon to contact or visit him.
The interim ADVO on McMahon had the same conditions to the one served on Bennett, but with the additional constraint that she not approach or contact him except through a lawyer.
Bennett’s legal team made an interim non-publication order at Windsor Local Court on July 18, preventing further publication of identifying details of McMahon and Bennett.
After the Herald applied to fight that order, Bennett’s lawyers withdrew their application for a final non-publication order and the interim order was revoked.
Both ADVO matters were also heard at Windsor Local Court, where McMahon’s lawyer said she would fight the making of a final ADVO when they return to court on August 1.
McMahon was a NSW Liberal Party vice president until recently, and ran as the candidate for Macquarie in the 2022 federal election.
The couple attracted attention after McMahon was investigated after telling the NSW Electoral Commission she did not have close links to a property developer, despite Bennett being co-owner of a company that promoted an “end-to-end” role in the property industry.
McMahon described the probe as an “unfounded attack” from Labor, and said Bennett was a real estate agent.
The NSW Office of Local Government later determined Bennett did not meet the legislative definition of a property developer, and McMahon, then known as Sarah Richards, did not breach the code of conduct for councillors.
In a Hawkesbury Council meeting on Tuesday, the deputy mayor blocked a no-confidence motion against McMahon, who was not present.
With Megan Gorrey
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