Neighbors star Madeleine West has launched an immediate appeal against a two-year domestic violence order imposed on her by a magistrate who delivered a scathing judgment on the former model’s behaviour.
The appeal came just days after Magistrate Karen Stafford called her an “evasive” and unreliable witness, describing West’s treatment of her 75-year-old former father-in-law as “bordering on aggressive.”
Benny Clifton Bennett is the father of Celebrity Masterchef Shannon Bennett and the grandfather of West’s six children with the restaurateur.
Stafford Magistrate enforced an apprehended violence order for two years from Tuesday March 28 preventing the TV star from going anywhere near Benny Bennett or Shannon Bennett’s Byron Bay estate when her father was visiting.
Neighbors star Madeleine West has filed an appeal against her two-year-old AVO, executed this week by a magistrate who criticized her behavior towards her former father-in-law, the model took the case to the District Court.
A Byron Bay magistrate has enforced a two-year AVO protecting Celebrity Masterchef Shannon Bennett’s father, 75-year-old Benny Bennett (above) from Neighbors star Madeleine West, who is now appealing it.
This followed a confrontation between the pair last May.
The magistrate concluded that: “I am satisfied with the balance of probabilities that Benny Bennett has these fears, not of personal violence… but of conduct amounting to intimidation, including harassment or abuse, disturbances, annoyances or repeated problems and believes that this will happen.” if he stays with the kids.
“I am convinced that he is afraid that if he visits his grandchildren (Madeleine West) he will be harassed.”
Stafford Magistrate found that West had “break-in” into Shannon Bennett’s home while the chef was abroad and Benny Bennett was at home. The meeting was caught on CCTV.
Madeleine West and Shannon Bennett’s long-running romance ‘went toxic’ according to the celebrity chef, culminating in an AVO against her protection from Bennett’s father, which the model is now appealing.
West was not charged and denied an allegation that she pushed her former father-in-law before taking an 11-year-old girl, telling the court: “I didn’t lay a hand on her.”
Ms Stafford said CCTV footage of the incident showed West’s “behavior is almost bordering on aggressive, it shows her almost dragging that child off that property.”
She made her way through the door, when it appears that she had been denied entry.
“It certainly looked like he had a hold on (the boy’s wrist) and was almost dragging the boy … off the property.
“In many of the scenes, (Mr. Bennett’s) head is bowed, shrugging, almost in defensive resignation for this man he wasn’t listening to.
‘As soon as the door opens… (West is) assertive, almost aggressive. She…strikes up the driveway toward the house followed by Benny Bennett, who looks rather dejected.
Madeleine West at Byron Bay court, where a magistrate rejected her testimony as reliable, describing her as “evasive” and causing celebrity chef Shannon Bennett’s father to fear.
Madeleine Bennett (above) lives in the Byron suburb of Suffolk Park, from where she appealed in Lismore District Court against a two-year domestic violence order against her.
Madeleine West gets help slapping mud at the Bexhill quarry near Bangalow the afternoon before she was due to fight an AVO against her, she was judged as a ‘evasive’ witness and is now appealing.
“She seems to be grabbing the child, almost forcing the child (who was) sick and needed to be cared for, and yet she walks at a very fast pace, expecting this child to follow her very fast pace down the road. And the girl almost fell he staggers to keep up.
Madeleine West was in a 13-year relationship with Shannon Bennett, sharing children who now range from nine to 17, before their acrimonious split in 2018.
He has full-time custody of the children.
In 2020, West left Melbourne for Byron Bay to be close to his children, buying his own $4.6 million mansion in Suffolk Park.
Most recently, the actress and podcast host revealed that she was the victim of child sexual abuse.
Although Benny Bennett lives in Victoria, his wife died in 2020 and he regularly visits his grandchildren at Shannon Bennett’s home in Byron Bay.
After the alleged incident in May last year, the court heard Bennett say he would no longer make such visits.
“I won’t do it anymore, I’ll just tell my son, at my age, it’s very stressful,” the court heard him say.
‘I don’t want to put the children through for nothing. It affects them. I’ll only go up when Shannon’s here.
“I can’t stand what she does,” Mr. Bennett was reported to have said of West’s behavior with his grandchildren, “I can’t be the meat in the middle.”
Madeleine West’s appeal is due in the NSW District Court in Lismore in May.