Salim Mehajer guilty of domestic violence against ex-girlfriend

Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been found guilty of domestic violence against an ex-girlfriend,including threats to kill her and her family and putting his hands over her mouth and nose until she blacked out.

Mehajer,36,pleaded not guilty to intimidation,intentionally suffocating a person with recklessness,assault occasioning actual bodily harm and three counts of common assault. He represented himself in a three-week trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.

 Salim Mehajer in 2020. He has been on trial in Sydney over domestic violence charges.

Salim Mehajer in 2020. He has been on trial in Sydney over domestic violence charges.AAP/Joel Carrett

After deliberating since about 3.30pm on Tuesday,on Wednesday afternoon the jury found him guilty of all six charges.

The Crown case was that Mehajer had four “bouts or episodes of anger” towards his former partner.

Crown prosecutor Ken Gilson said the complainant,who gave evidence in closed court,described a “cycle of abuse”. He said the woman at times felt affection for Mehajer but that “all was not well”.

In the first incident,Mehajer had punched his then-girlfriend in the head 10 times in the car on the way to a restaurant,after an argument about necklaces.

During the second episode,Mehajer was accused of demanding to know who the woman was texting and pinning her to the bed,squeezing her hand until the phone screen cracked and glass went into her thumb.

The third episode,the woman said,was after Mehajer said he had contacted one of her ex-boyfriends on Instagram and then allegedly dragged her to the laundry and pinned her against the wall.

“He threatened her that he would ‘do what gangsters do’,kill her family members in front of her before killing her,” the prosecutor said. “He said he would shoot her mother and make her watch.”

The woman said Mehajer told her if he was unable to do so,he would get somebody else to do it.

Lastly,the woman alleged Mehajer “pegged” something at her,giving her a “dead arm” and bruising before he cornered her in the bathroom and put his hands over her nose and mouth.

“He was telling me that he could easily kill me,he could keep beating me till I wouldn’t wake up,” the woman said,according to evidence read by the prosecutor.

She said it was “the most aggressive I’ve ever seen him” and “he just kept repeating that he could easily kill me”.

The woman said she felt weak,was shaking uncontrollably and passed out,and “when she came to,he was banging his head” against the toilet.

Mehajer did not testify in his defence,but made his case on Monday reading a handwritten closing address to the jury from an A4 notebook.

“You’ll be glad to hear that this trial has almost come to an end,” he began. “After today … you won’t have to hear from me any more.”

He said he had been in a “relatively healthy relationship” with the complainant which “had ups and downs” like any other. It reached a low point when the woman went through his phone “and found something that upset her”,which he described as “cheating claims”.

“I outright reject the complainant’s evidence that she had genuine fears for her safety and life throughout the course of the relationship,” he said.

He repeated his claims the woman had fabricated text message screenshots and photoshopped images of her bruised and swollen arm,at times holding up photographs printed on A4 coloured paper.

“Many young people can edit photos,and there are apps. A certain famous person called Kim Kardashian was once caught out editing photos,” he said.

The prosecutor had told the jury the case was “word on word” and they would need to accept the evidence of the woman beyond reasonable doubt before Mehajer could be convicted on any charge.

It took them five hours of deliberation to return guilty verdicts on all charges.

Moments after the verdicts were handed down,Mehajer told Judge James Bennett he had already prepared an application for appeal.

The matter will return to court on Thursday for a sentence hearing,with Judge Bennett due to hand down his decision next month.

Support is available from the National Sexual Assault,Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Sarah McPhee is a court reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.

Jenny Noyes is a journalist at the Sydney Morning Herald.

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