Hawkesbury mayor Sarah McMahon alleges her property director ex pinned her to a bed and knocked her off her feet

A bitter rift between a Sydney mayor and her former property manager has turned ugly, with both parties issuing temporary restraining orders to each other.

Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon alleged to police that her ex-partner Matthew Bennett had pushed her onto a bed and off her feet. She also accused him of destroying furniture.

Although police issued Bennett with an ADVO, he was not prosecuted, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

There are also separate allegations that Cr McMahon went to Bennett’s office at night to search his computer after she suspected him of cheating.

Cr McMahon, who stood as a Liberal candidate in the federal seat of Lindsay in Sydney’s west at the last election, also got her own ADVO. She too has not been charged.

ADVO documents released by the Windsor court detail the couple’s relationship, which lasted six years until late 2023, when their partnership became on-again, off-again.

Bennett allegedly punched a hole in a wall when the couple lived together at their home in Richmond, in Sydney’s north-west, from March 2019 to Easter 2022.

The couple moved to another address in Richmond in 2022, where Cr McMahon alleged Bennett punched a hole in a wall, kicked a wooden panel off a desk and broke a clothes divider.

Ms McMahon (pictured) was handed her own interim ADVO sentence after allegedly searching her ex-partner’s laptop to find evidence he was cheating

She also claimed that more than $1,000 worth of damage was caused.

Bennett is also accused of throwing a Nike bag at his then-partner sometime in 2023, causing her to fall and injure her thigh.

He then yelled at her to get up and stop pretending.

Bennett allegedly threw a glass at the kitchen wall during an argument last month.

In another incident, he allegedly pinned Cr McMahon to a bed while shouting at her.

Cr McMahon reported the alleged incidents to police earlier this month.

Bennett has been ordered under the interim ADVO not to assault, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate the mayor or anyone else with whom she has a domestic relationship, nor to damage their property.

Cr McMahon was appointed her own interim ADVO, which stated that Bennett was in need of protection.

The ADVO documents show that on June 14, the mayor went to the home of Bennett’s mother and his sister to look for him, because she suspected he was having an affair.

Cr McMahon is said to have sent a photo of his sister’s house via WhatsApp at 8.02am and then gone to his friend’s house in Castlereagh.

The mayor searched for Bennett for more than an hour before going to his office in Richmond, where he entered through an unlocked door.

She allegedly searched his laptop for evidence that he had cheated on her.

The mayor then allegedly sent him a photo of Bennett’s laptop, after which he checked his home’s security cameras to see if she was in the building.

Police were called and Cr McMahon was arrested at the scene.

The Hawkesbury Mayor (pictured) and Mr Bennett were together for six years before they began an on-again, off-again relationship

Bennett told police he feared for his safety, but he would not make a statement because he did not want to jeopardize the mayor’s career.

But he added that he did not want the mayor to have any contact with him or to visit him.

Cr McMahon’s interim ADVO had an additional restriction over Bennett’s: she was not allowed to approach or contact him except through a lawyer.

Both ADVO cases were heard in Windsor District Court, where the mayor’s lawyer indicated she would oppose a final ADVO when the case returns to court on August 1.

The former couple previously came under scrutiny when Cr McMahon was investigated after telling the NSW Electoral Commission she had no links to a property developer, even though Bennett was a part-owner of a property company.

However, the NSW Office of Local Government ruled that Bennett did not meet the definition of a developer and that the mayor had not breached the councillor’s code of conduct.

Cr McMahon was not present at Tuesday night’s council meeting, where her deputy blocked a motion of no confidence in the mayor

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Cr McMahon and Bennett for comment.