Salim Mehajer vowes to fight DV conviction ‘all the way to the High Court’
He was known for his luxury lifestyle, but for the past three years Salim Mehajer has spent it behind bars. He now reveals his next moves.
Salim Mehajer has broken a three-year silence, revealing he refused protective custody because he would not be locked up with “rapists, paedophiles and informants”.
In an exclusive interview with news.com.au, the flamboyant ex-politician detailed how he survived nearly three years in some of NSW’s toughest prisons and his plans to rebuild a life and reputation left in tatters.
Mehajer, who served time in Sydney’s infamous Silverwater maximum security prison, said he refused to be sent into protection for his own safety.
“I didn’t want to associate with men like that,” Mehajer said of refusing to live in the “boneyard,” a slang term for protection.
“I lost my freedom but I was not going to lose my dignity,” he said.
“Being forced into that environment is something I find intolerable.”
Mehajer felt so strongly that he even opted for a week-long stint in Supermax at Goulburn while in transit from Cooma to Silverwater, rather than going into protection.
Acknowledging his fraud convictions, Mehajer said he was nevertheless “raised on loyalty, honesty and accountability”
“If someone’s made choices, they should own them. “Informing” on others just to save yourself isn’t something I can respect.”
Mehajer, 39, walked free from John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor on July 18, having served three years and nine months of a seven-year sentence for a string of fraud and domestic violence offences.
He was whisked away in a black Mercedes-Benz, avoiding the waiting media pack.
He spent his time locked up with some of Australia’s most dangerous men, but his biggest challenge wasn’t the other inmates.
It was the silence.
“I spent long months in solitary confinement, not my choice, where silence was my only companion,” Mehajer said.
“Going from seeing just one person every second or third day to suddenly being surrounded by voices and movement has been overwhelming. It’s made me realise how precious even the simplest human connection is and how much I took it for granted.”
Despite the isolation, he said he found surprising support among the general inmate population, adding that “not being connected to an Outlaw Motorcycle Group certainly made things easier”.
But while he has served his time, Mehajer has vowed to fight his domestic violence conviction all the way to the High Court.
“I am appealing the conviction as it simply didn’t happen,” Mehajer said.
He claimed the trial was “doomed to fail” from the start because he was forced to represent himself.
“I will be asking the Court of Criminal Appeal for a retrial,” Mehajer said.
“And if necessary, I will fight with everything I have all the way to the High Court of Australia.”
Mehajer had to act as his own counsel in the NSW District Court trial after being unable to seek an adjournment to raise funding to secure a lawyer.
At the time, he acknowledged to the jury that he was not a lawyer and pleaded not guilty to charges including common assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intimidation, and intentionally choking a person without consent.
He described the allegations as “bizarre”.
Being forced to question the complainant through a third party added another layer of difficulty to his defence.
Behind bars, Mehajer studied law with “limited resources” and survived by going into “fight mode”.
“I knew hardship would come, so I kept fighting,” Mehajer said.
“I made time pass by in ways that kept me holding on. I wrote frequently, often 100 pages a week. I jotted down my thoughts, reflections, and even plans for the future, just to remind myself that my mind was still mine.
“I read books to escape the walls and the silence, letting stories carry me somewhere else, even if it was only for a short time. And frequent phone calls with my family and loved ones gave me strength while exercise became more than just physical, it was survival.”
Since his release from prison, Mehajer has tried to keep a low profile but has been repeatedly photographed by paparazzi during routine activities like buying his morning coffee.
He admits the constant media attention can be “overwhelming at times” and adds to his anxiety and being labelled “disgraced” is something that hurts.
“Well it’s never easy to read that word next to my name. Of course it hurts. It reduces me to a headline, without understanding the whole story.
“Yes I’ve made mistakes, but I’m not defined by them. What I want to fix is my reputation by living differently, proving through my actions that I’m not the label people throw around.
“Respect is earned back slowly, and that’s exactly what I’m working towards.
“So I try to focus on the people and things that matter most rather than the noise,’ Mehajer said.
He describes being free as a “mix of relief and adjustment.”
“I’m just grateful to be back with my family and focusing on building a positive routine. I’ve wasted no time and am working to excel.”
Mehajer claims the public response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” saying, “People have even approached me in the street with words of support and encouragement for which I am very grateful.”
The former Auburn deputy mayor first made news in 2015 with his extravagant wedding, shutting down a Lidcombe street to descend from one of four helicopters, followed by a fleet of luxury sports cars to marry Aysha, formerly April Amelia Learmonth.
The stunt landed him a $220 fine. The couple split a year later, with Aysha granted an apprehended violence order.
His fall from grace continued.
A dispute over the marble staircase in his luxury home made headlines, followed by bankruptcy in 2018, owing $24 million to creditors.
In 2020, Mehajer was jailed for perverting the course of justice and making a false statement under oath after police alleged he orchestrated a car accident to delay a court hearing.
In 2023, he was found guilty in separate trials for domestic violence and fraud.
While he expressed “sincere remorse” for offences to which he pleaded guilty, he remains defiant about the domestic violence conviction.
“I cannot accept guilt for the other (DV) matters, as they simply did not occur,” Mehajer said.
“While I respect the process, I remain steadfast in my innocence.”
Looking ahead, Mehajer is optimistic.
“Before, I was a little boy in big school, and now I’m a big boy in little school,” Mehajer said.
“God willing, this is only the beginning of many more achievements to come.”
Mehajer has begun working as a property developer.
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Originally published as Salim Mehajer vowes to fight DV conviction ‘all the way to the High Court’
