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Salim Mehajer’s ex-girlfriend accuses him of choking her until she passed out, prompting new charges and more time behind bars.
- Salim Mehajer will remain behind bars
- Former deputy mayor faces domestic violence charges
Disgraced former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer will remain behind bars after his bail was revoked and faces domestic violence charges.
The controversial property developer, 36, was granted bail two weeks ago and is likely to be released from prison for the first time in almost three years.
But his ex-girlfriend Melissa Tysoe accused Mehajer of choking her to the point of knocking her unconscious, prompting new charges against him.
Disgraced former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer (left) is pictured with his ex-girlfriend Melissa Tysoe
Melissa Tysoe (pictured right) said Salim Mehajer (left) strangled her unconscious
Judge Natalie Adams overturned Mehajer’s bail explaining her reasoning in the New South Wales Supreme Court this week.
He said that the former mayor he has a criminal record, has previously violated bail and court orders, and was considered a risk in contacting Ms. Tysoe.
Mehajer is serving a two-year, three-month sentence for lying to the courts, having previously been jailed for voter fraud.
Her legal team argued that Ms Tysoe only made the allegations after discovering a photo on her phone showing Mehajer ‘with someone else’.
“The relationship soured when he was arrested and there was a suggestion that he had been cheating,” attorney Tom Hughes said.
Court I heard that Ms. Tysoe saw a doctor about an alleged incident in which she claimed that Mehajer choked her before losing consciousness.
I passed out, I couldn’t breathe. I don’t know what happened,’ he allegedly told the doctor, the daily telegraph informed.
Mehajer has also been accused of telling Ms Tysoe that he would “kill her family and come for her family first.”
Melissa Tysoe (pictured on the left) had dated Salim Mehajer (pictured on the right) for about three years.
He claims that Ms. Tysoe, whom he had dated for about three years, used her phone to send the messages to his phone.
Mehajer’s legal team said the case against him was weak and that police had “serious reliability and credibility issues” with Tysoe.
His lawyers said he should be granted bail so he can get help for mental health issues and prepare for his trial on the charges.
Mehajer faces charges of suffocation and incidents of domestic violence allegedly committed during his relationship with Ms. Tysoe.
Despite having a lawyer speak for him, Mehajer may have to represent himself in the District Court trial after being denied legal aid.
Legal Aid said her ‘lifestyle suggested’ she could afford a lawyer.
Mehajer, who appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, was barred from bringing lawsuits in New South Wales last June after a judge labeled him a ‘vexatious litigant’.
Ms Tysoe (left) is pictured with disgraced former Deputy Mayor Salim Mehajer (right)
Judge Geoff Lindsay imposed the indefinite ban in the NSW Supreme Court after discovering that Mehajer was using the courts to harass.
The last straw was the former Auburn vice mayor’s attempt to sue 17 business partners for $52 million while he was still in jail for unrelated crimes.
Mehajer was a member of the Auburn City Council in Western Sydney from 2012 to 2016.
He first rose to public fame after his 2015 marriage to Aysha made headlines in Australia and abroad.
Coverage focused on Mehajer’s use of four helicopters that day, and he then proceeded to the wedding in a fleet of luxury sports cars.
He was accused of closing a street without authorization and distributing false notices warning locals that their cars would be towed if they were not removed from the street.
He was later fined $220 for the incident.
His wife separated from him in April 2016 and three months later he filed an AVO against Mehajer.