An Illawarra man who made headlines in 2014 for having to cancel his wedding in the Greek Islands after getting locked up for driving without a licence has come foul of the law again - just two weeks after being released from custody on separate charges.
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Anthony John Barsby begged a local court magistrate then a district court judge to spare him jail in 2014 for repeatedly driving without a licence, saying he needed to travel overseas to get married.
He told the court at the time the wedding had largely been paid for and he didn't want to disappoint his fiance.
However, neither judicial officer was moved by the request - the magistrate imposing a jail sentence and the judge upholding it on appeal.
By 2015, Barsby revealed during another court appearance that he and the woman had broken up.
But Wollongong Bail Court on Monday heard Barsby and the woman had gotten back together at some stage and eventually married in December 2017.
However, the pair split in 2018 and officially divorced in April this year, at which time an apprehended violence order was put in place protecting the victim from Barsby for five years.
Under the conditions of the AVO, Barsby was banned from having any contact with the woman.
The court heard he'd been in jail for much of the year and had only been released from prison two weeks ago but was still prohibited from associating with his ex-partner.
However, court documents said the woman was walking along Cliff Road in Wollongong near the Continental Pool on the morning of October 4 when Barsby allegedly approached her.
She hugged him and asked him where he'd been and what he'd been doing.
They spoke for about 30 minutes before she offered to buy him breakfast.
He declined but asked if she could give him a lift to Centrelink, which she did, police said.
The pair allegedly spoke later that afternoon and they agreed to go to book a hotel in Sydney for the weekend.
They parted ways on their return to Wollongong, and Barsby allegedly phoned the woman 10 times later that day, asking her to buy him a kebab when she eventually picked up the phone.
She declined and told him she wasn't "an ATM".
He then allegedly bombarded her with unwanted phone calls.
She reported the incident to police, later telling officers she found Barsby "difficult to say 'no' to".
Barsby was charged with contravening an AVO.
He sought bail in Wollongong court on Sunday but it was refused on account of his extensive criminal history.
The case will return to court on Tuesday for Barsby to make a fresh bail application.
