Charges against Phillip Hanslow were dropped, but an AVO was requested to protect Guy Sebastian. Photo / NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard
Charges against Phillip Hanslow were dropped, but an AVO was requested to protect Guy Sebastian. Photo / NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard
A new video has emerged of Guy Sebastian in a heated confrontation with his neighbour over a shared fence, which was understood to be the moment that sparked their long-running feud and eventual legal battle.
The edited video, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, captures the damaged fence at the centreof their fight and the singer accusing his neighbour Phillip Hanslow of “hacking away at the already rendered fence”.
“Go f*** yourself,” Hanslow replied, to which Sebastian responded: “Look at him. This is how he talks every time.”
Hanslow can be seen walking toward Sebastian, who appears to be filming the incident on his mobile phone, and asks, “What are you gonna do about it?”
“Get out of your face? What are you gonna do about it?” Hanslow asks again, walking toward the camera.
Sebastian repeats: “Always the same. Nothing mate. You’re an old man, I’m not gonna take an old man” before the video ends.
The Sunday Telegraph also obtained an unedited version of the video, in which Hanslow appears relaxed, resuming his building work on his Maroubra home.
He reportedly tells Sebastian he “tried to see you in person, the diplomatic way to try and fix the fence”, before the video abruptly ends.
The Sunday Telegraph reports there are two more videos filmed on the day.
Phillip Hanslow fronted at Waverley Local Court. Photo / NCA NewsWire / David Swift
Police originally alleged Hanslow, 66, escalated the long-running feud between the neighbours by making intimidating comments to the former Australian Idol winner outside their eastern suburbs homes on January 23. Police alleged these comments included a death threat.
Hanslow was charged with stalking with intent to cause physical harm and damaging property.
On April 5, Hanslow’s lawyer Bryan Wench told Waverley Court that all charges had been withdrawn and dismissed.
Police were called to Maroubra at about 1.30 pm on January 23 following reports of a dispute between neighbours involving threats.
The 66-year-old said police broke down his door while he was on the toilet to arrest him for “just a heated argument” between neighbours.
Despite the dropped charges, police have requested an interim apprehended violence order to be kept in place, which prohibits Hanslow from contacting, approaching, or harassing the singer or entering his property.
The court heard the AVO will continue for four more months as a final order by consent.
The legal battle was the dramatic climax to six years of tensions between the neighbours, which began when Sebastian and his rise Jules started building their “fortress-like” home in the beachside neighbourhood.
Guy Sebastian said some of the claims presented were “completely false”. Photo / NCA NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard
Hanslow said the extensive building words on the $3.1 million ($3.2 million) Maroubra home created a “massive amount of friction” in the neighbourhood over three years.
In a statement to The Sunday Telegraph on Saturday, a spokeswoman for Sebastian said she was “sure both parties are glad for this to be behind them now.
“The police felt it was appropriate to place an AVO against the neighbour, and we’re thankful for their support in keeping the community safe,” she said.
“Guy has no further comment on this matter and is focusing on creating new music and his mentoring role for The Voice.”
In March, Sebastian spoke out about the long-running dispute, saying some of the claims aired in Waverley Local Court were “completely fabricated”.
“I’ve chosen to not say anything. I’ve learned now that it’s … Where do I start? There’s much that’s been said that is not true,” Sebastian said on Channel 7′s Sunrise, but he did not identify what information was untrue.
During court proceedings, Hanslow’s legal team requested CCTV footage of the homes that Wench claimed showed Sebastian had “towered over” his neighbour “with a brick in his hand”.
Wench also issued a subpoena for any phone camera footage related to the incident. He was later granted access to a USB containing three pieces of footage that showed Sebastian “being demeaning … provocative and sarcastic” to his neighbour.
