Guy Sebastian’s ‘bad guy’ fear keeping him from fronting court in case against neighbour, court told
Guy Sebastian has been lashed as a hypocrite after police told a court he was reluctant to front court against his neighbour due to fears of media reports.
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Guy Sebastian has complained he is being “portrayed as a villain” by media coverage of his legal battle with his neighbour, who allegedly threatened to kill him during a fiery fence dispute.
Phillip Richard Hanslow is charged with escalating a long-running feud between the neighbours by intimidating Mr Sebastian outside their Maroubra homes on January 23.
Police were called to the beachside suburb about 1.30pm after the 66-year-old allegedly threatened to kill his famous neighbour in the culmination of a years-long argument about their shared fence.
Mr Hanslow previously told reporters he was on the toilet when police arrested him and charged him with stalking with intent to cause physical harm and damaging property.
On Thursday, police prosecutor Alex Borg made an application to have any evidence given by Mr Sebastian suppressed due to a “trial by media”.
“The application is made on the basis of prejudice to the administration of justice,” he said.
“There have been articles in the media where Mr Sebastian has been made out to be the bad guy.”
The sergeant said the inaugural Australian Idol winner has been unwilling to attend court because he “feels like he’s being portrayed to be the villain”.
However, Mr Hanslow’s lawyer Bryan Wrench rubbished the claims and noted the musician has been willing to talk to the media about the legal battle.
“Mr Sebastian has done four interviews talking about this court case in the media, so it’s a bit hypocritical to say he doesn’t want to have this case in the public eye,” he said.
“My client’s reputation has been damaged and he’s been sullied by the case as well.”
Magistrate Ross Hudson adjourned the decision on the suppression order until April 3 to allow the parties to properly prepare their arguments.
The court heard there was also an issue with video footage in the case after Mr Wrench issued a subpoena on Mr Sebastian to obtain CCTV and mobile phone video footage related to the incident.
He previously told the court he expected the videos would show the pop star towering over his 66-year-old client with a brick in his hand.
Three videos were surrendered under the terms of the subpoena last week, but Mr Wrench claimed Mr Sebastian had not handed over the relevant CCTV footage showing the heated argument between the neighbours.
However, on Thursday he told Waverley court that Mr Sebastian’s lawyers had confirmed there was “no CCTV footage capturing the incident”.
The court heard the judge on The Voice had provided three videos to police, which were passed on to Mr Hanslow’s lawyers last week.
“Everything that had to be produced from (Mr Sebastian) has been produced,” Magistrate Ross Hudson said.
Mr Hanslow’s alleged death threats are believed to be the fiery finale after six years of tensions between the neighbours, which began in 2016 when Mr Sebastian and his wife Jules were building their home.
The couple bought their $3.1m home in Maroubra in 2013 and spent nearly three years overhauling it to create their “fortress-like” house.
Mr Hanslow told reporters on Thursday that the extensive building works created “a massive amount of friction” in the neighbourhood.
He said the dispute had arisen from $2 worth of damage to his shared fence with Mr Sebastian, which has since been mended.
The 66-year-old claims he was working on the fence when he was confronted by his celebrity neighbour.
“He approached me,” he said outside the courtroom.
“He was trying to intimidate me and not the other way around.”
Mr Hanslow said it’s not the first time he’s spoken with Mr Sebastian but previous interactions “have not been pleasant”.
The 66-year-old and his wife have both been struggling with a myriad of health issues.
The court date came the day after Mr Sebastian and his wife attended a lavish party to launch his “perfume Embrace.
The bash boasted views of the stunning Sydney skyline, bursting goodie bags, and an intimate performance by the multi-award winning musician.
The pop star was represented by his lawyer in court on Thursday, who confirmed her client has complied with the subpoena order.
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