Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has promised not to use social media site Instagram among a string of bail conditions after he was charged with dangerous driving and breaching an apprehended violence order by "stalking" his estranged wife.
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The colourful property developer, who is prolific on social media, is facing a growing number of court battles including an electoral fraud trial.
He was arrested shortly after 1am on Monday for allegedly breaching an AVO protecting his estranged wife Aysha Learmonth and an unrelated incident of dangerous driving which culminated in a crash in Kingsgrove.
The charges come less than a fortnight after police raided his palatial Lidcombe home as part of an investigation into a car crash he allegedly had on the way to an assault trial in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court.
Mr Mehajer, 31, appeared in court in a hooded jumper in a caged and glassed-in holding cell at Burwood Local Court on Monday afternoon as his barrister, George Thomas, applied successfully for bail.
Magistrate Joy Boulos said she would impose "very stringent" bail conditions on Mr Mehajer, which would ensure he was kept "virtually under house arrest" at a residence in Vaucluse.
Mr Mehajer will be forced to report to police twice a week, submit to a 10pm to 5am curfew, and pay a $10,000 surety.
He also agreed "not to use Instagram" and not to contact or interfere with prosecution witnesses.
The court heard Mr Mehajer was "alleged to have committed an offence of domestic nature involving an ex partner". The offence was "non-violent", the prosecution said.
Police opposed bail because of the risk Mr Mehajer might commit another "serious offence" or have access to evidence, namely footage from a camera lodged on the dashboard of his car.
But Mr Thomas said Mr Mehajer had offered to provide police with this footage.
Police had previously applied for an AVO against Mr Mehajer on behalf of his estranged wife.
Late on Sunday, Mr Mehajer posted a photo of himself and Ms Learmonth on Instagram with the caption "he [sic] is a photo that I hope to make you smile".
The post, which has since been deleted, also claimed his Instagram account had been hacked recently and referred to another recently deleted post advertising for a personal assistant.
Mr Thomas said the media "seem to have a great interest in his life" and the former councillor's claim he had been hacked might "get a different reception" if he had been federal Liberal minister Christopher Pyne, who said recently his Twitter account had been hacked.
Mr Thomas said he had "serious concerns about strength of prosecution case", including allegations Mr Mehajer stalked his estranged wife.
"The stalking is the allegation that involves him travelling [in a four-wheel-drive] into this laneway behind the place where his ex-partner was living," he said.
Mr Thomas said there were "stark and significant" inconsistencies between the evidence of the proposed witnesses for the prosecution.
He also asked "why on earth" the police would not take a witness statement from a passenger in Mr Mehajer's car at the time of the alleged incident.
Mr Mehajer's arrest capped off a turbulent weekend for the Mehajer family, after preparations for the marriage of his sister to the nephew of nightclub boss John Ibrahim were interrupted by the shooting of Mr Ibrahim's bodyguard.
Members of the Ibrahim family were setting up for the wedding of Aisha Mehajer and Sam Sayour in a western Sydney backyard on Friday night when Semi "Tongan Sam" Ngata was shot.
He was taken to Westmead Hospital, where he was in a serious but stable condition on Saturday, as preparations for the nuptials continued.
The private wedding went ahead on Saturday night, in a marquee in the Merrylands backyard of Mr Ibrahim's mother.
Salim Mehajer and John Ibrahim are not believed to have attended.
- with Miriam Webber
