Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has finally walked free from John Morony Correctional Centre in Sydney’s west after serving nearly five years for domestic violence and fraud offences.
The 39-year-old disgraced ex-politician was locked up in 2020 for punching a woman, shattering her phone, and putting his hand over her mouth until she passed out.
Additionally, Mehajer committed fraud by trying to use false documents to regain $6530 seized by police from his home.
A Strict Release with Bail Conditions
Under strict bail conditions, Mehajer is now a free man, but with a tarnished reputation.
Mehajer rose to public prominence after his lavish 2015 wedding to Aysha Learmonth in Western Sydney, which reportedly cost $1 million and involved fleets of luxury cars, doves, helicopters, street closures in Lidcombe, and exclusive magazine deals.
A Repeat Offender
This isn’t Mehajer’s first brush with the law. He previously served 11 months in Cooma Correctional Centre after being found guilty of electoral fraud in 2018.
At the time of his 2018 release, Mehajer was also defending charges that he staged a crash in 2017 just before he was due in court over charges he had assaulted a taxi driver.
On his release from jail in 2018, Mehajer walked free in a blue suit and tie.
However, this time around, he swiftly left the facility in a hired black sedan, avoiding the media.