Salim Mehajer knows he is notorious, but the allegations he repeatedly punched a woman, threatened to put a bullet in her mother's head and choked her are "bizarre" and "sprinkled with a number of lies", he says.
The 36-year-old former Auburn deputy mayor is defending himself against seven domestic violence charges in the NSW District Court.
Addressing the jury on Wednesday morning, Mehajer asked for patience and understanding of the fact he is representing himself, is in custody, and is not a lawyer, none of which should prejudice his case.
"I understand I have been subject to notoriety," he told the jury.
But the things they may know about him are not proven facts, he said.
"What you have before you in this trial is facts and evidence no one has ever seen," he said.
The allegations against him cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and the claims are not entirely truthful, he said.
"Some of the things did happen, but what you have to be very careful of, is those allegations made against me have been sprinkled with a number of lies," he said.
"When the complainant began to lie, it caught like wildfire. The lie just grew larger and larger."
The woman who complained to police in December 2020 about several instances of domestic violence over a number of years cannot be identified.
The jury will hear her evidence on Wednesday while the court is closed to the public, with Mehajer questioning her through an intermediary.
She told police he acted violently towards her in a "desperate attempt" to have criminal proceedings against herself dropped after she was charged alongside him, Mehajer said.
The charges were eventually dropped against both of them and he does not know why, he said.
"The point I'm trying to make is this: The motive of the complainant remains unchanged," he said.
Mehajer's ex-wife will be called to give evidence as a "key witness" in his case.
Despite not being on speaking terms, he expects she will tell the jury their 10-year relationship contained no violence.
He also plans to question the complainant's relatives about elements of his argument and investigating police about messages he says are screenshots, not downloaded originals, and might not be legitimate.
Crown prosecutor Ken Gilson addressed the jury on Tuesday, detailing the allegations against Mehajer.
Mehajer "had bouts of anger where he would harm her physically" as their relationship went on, as well as threatening to harm her family or himself, Mr Gilson said.
He allegedly threatened to put a bullet in her mother's head or have someone else do it if he was put in jail.
Mehajer is accused of punching the woman ten times in the head in his car, pinning her down and squeezing her hand so hard it cracked her phone screen at his home.
The charge described by Mr Gilson as the "most serious" relates to an incident in which Mehajer allegedly covered the woman's mouth and nose with his hand, stopping her from breathing until she passed out.
The trial continues.
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