Why disgraced deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been secretly jailed for seven years – as his ex breaks her silence about his epic downfall

Disgraced former deputy mayor of Auburn, Salim Mehajer, has been secretly jailed for the brutal attack on his ex-girlfriend. Now she is breaking her silence about her horrific ordeal.

Mehajer, 38, was sentenced in May by the district court to seven years and nine months in prison for a series of offences including domestic violence and fraudulent use of documents.

A jury found the former politician and property developer guilty of strangling, beating and threatening to kill his ex-partner during “four fits of rage” during the “violent” relationship.

However, the lengthy prison sentence could only be reported this week, when a court lifted a non-publication order after Mehajer pleaded guilty to a series of separate offences.

The penalties for the crimes, which include staging a car crash in 2017 to avoid a court hearing and falsely accusing other people of being the drivers of multiple traffic violations, are due to be announced next month.

After the gag order was lifted on Monday, Mehajer’s ex-girlfriend – whose name cannot be released for legal reasons – released a statement welcoming the outcome.

“To those who supported me through this ordeal, the NPO (non-publication order) was lifted today,” she wrote online.

“I’m going to create a really beautiful life for myself, whatever it takes.”

Mehajer shot to fame in 2015 after his lavish wedding – featuring a fighter jet, four helicopters, a fleet of sports cars and a seaplane – closed streets in Sydney’s west, angering his neighbours.

He was subsequently fined for closing the street and a petition was started calling for Mehajer to be removed from the council.

In the years following his high-profile marriage, Mehajer’s life fell into disarray as his business relationships deteriorated and legal problems mounted.

In June 2018, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for 77 counts of electoral fraud relating to the 2012 New South Wales government local elections.

He served 11 months of that sentence and was back in court shortly after his release for allegedly giving false names of others who had driven his luxury cars between 2012 and 2014 when he was caught speeding.

Mehajer is pictured arriving at the Downing Centre court in Sydney for a case in August 2020

Mehajer’s (pictured) high-profile wedding caused a stir in his neighborhood, leading to a petition to fire him

In last year’s domestic violence trial, the court heard that Mehajer punched his ex-girlfriend ten times in the head as they sat in a car on the way to a restaurant after an argument broke out over chains.

In another incident, he became jealous and angry and squeezed her hand so hard while she was holding her phone that the screen cracked and shards of glass lodged in her thumb.

In the other two violent episodes, he pushed her against a wall and threatened to “kill her family members in front of her before he killed her.” He also frightened her in a room and covered her nose and mouth with his hand until she passed out.

The seven-year prison sentence – which relates to a total of 15 charges – also includes convictions for fraud, after Mehajer was found guilty by a jury in June last year of forging the signatures of his sister and former lawyer to obtain financial advantage.

Mehajer’s sentence has been backdated to 2022 and includes a period of three years and six months without the possibility of parole.

His maximum prison sentence expires on October 18, 2029, but he will be eligible for parole from July 18, 2025.