Mehajer yells into the camera at his wife. Photo / Channel 9
Mehajer yells into the camera at his wife. Photo / Channel 9
WARNING: Offensive language
They were billed as the secret videos that would bring Salim Mehajer's world crashing down.
But now Mehajer, the polarising property developer and former Auburn deputy mayor, has hit back at A Current Affair for airing videos of him unleashing on his wife Aysha Learmonth, claiming itwas a set-up.
"Aysha is a beautiful, warm, amazing individual, whom I believe was betrayed, or set up by someone who supplied A Current Affair with these out of context videos to make a sensationalised story," he told news.com.au.
In one of the confronting videos, aired on last night's program, Mehajer, 30, yells into the camera at his wife - threatening both her and her family.
In the second, he yells in Arabic and continues to unleash.
"Aysha, you've got five minutes to give me a call! Give me a call in five minutes ... I'm gonna rape your mum and your f***ing dad! Call me now!" he said on the video.
According to the program, Mehajer sent the videos to his wife after she moved out of their home and sought refuge with a relative. When she refused to return his calls, he unleashed. ACA claims to have obtained the videos from a "concerned friend" of Learmonth, who did not appear in the investigation.
Since the damning vision aired last night, Mehajer, a renowned social media enthusiast, has gone offline.
The former councillor's Facebook page is no longer visible to followers, and he has not shared his thoughts on the report with his 189,000 Instagram followers.
Though his Facebook profile is currently inactive, Mehajer has previously posted enthusiastically about his and Learmonth's relationship, and what it means to be a man.
"Being a MALE is a matter of birth, being a MAN is a matter of age, but being a GENTLEMAN is a matter of choice," he posted last year.
Mehajer spoke to news.com.au about the report earlier yesterday before going quiet, saying the program should focus on "real news".
While Mehajer denies reports his marriage to Learmonth has crumbled - only seven months after their elaborate, headline-grabbing wedding - ACA understands the beauty therapist, formerly known as April, has moved out of their mansion and changed her name.
The aggressive videos follow an incident that saw the embattled property developer yelling out the front of Aysha's sister's house, demanding his car back.
Last month, NSW Police, acting for Aysha lodged an application for an apprehended violence order (AVO) against her husband. The matter will be heard in September. A Current Affair says it will hand the footage over to NSW Police if it is requested.
Ahead of the investigation airing on Monday night, the reporter behind the story, Alison Piotrowski, told the Today show the footage was incredibly disturbing.
"I've worked at A Current Affair for nearly eight years now and I've seen some very confronting stuff - some we've shown on camera, some we haven't. And I do have to say, this is the most confronting video I've seen in my eight years on the show," she said.
"What's more disgusting is that there were threats of sexual violence, and I think that's what has really shaken me."
Salim Mehajer leaving his house in Lidcombe in July. Photo / Australia
It was reported on Monday morning Mehajer had appointed a public relations adviser, Lui Spedaliere, to deal with media inquiries and promote his family.
And his publicity team was quick to hit out at ACA's report, releasing a statement on Monday that stated the story did not "hold any weight emotionally or seriously in the public forum against the 'real' current affair atrocities that headline today's tabloids".
"No offence, Alison, you are a talented reporter who needs to spend more time getting shaken up by the 'real' stories that need 'real' awareness, not by an individual yelling into their personal phone camera," it continued.
"Which is the exact reason why I never took any requests to participate or be interviewed for that story seriously - because I don't believe it's classified as credible news."
Over the weekend, in what appears to be a bid to revamp his rapidly deteriorating image, Mehajer posted a motivational video - starring himself - to his Facebook and YouTube account. The clip, titled "Dream", lasts less than three minutes and features a dramatic voiceover.
