Salim Mehajer breaks silence after he was accused of damaging the letterbox at his former Lidcombe home while retrieving his mail

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 14:47, 27 June 2026 | Updated: 14:53, 27 June 2026 Former deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has taken to social media to share his side of the story after he was accused of breaking into and damaging the letterbox at his former western Sydney home. The controversial property developer, 40, spent Friday night in custody after he was arrested and charged with tampering with a mail receptacle, damaging property and entering enclosed lands. Police allege that Mehajer was captured on CCTV at his former Lidcombe home shortly before 10pm on Thursday 'bending and manipulating' the letterbox. It is the same address which made world headlines in 2015 when the then Auburn deputy mayor shut down the entire street for his over-the-top wedding to Aysha Learmonth, which reportedly cost $1million. Mehajer appeared in court on Saturday, where he was granted bail. Later that night, he took to social media to address the alleged incident, claiming that he was retrieving mail addressed to him. 'Grateful that common sense prevailed,' he told his 121,000 followers on his private Instagram account. 'Yes, I'm out... after allegedly taking my own mail.' Salim Mehajer has been accused of breaking into and damaging the letterbox at his former western Sydney home He took to social media on Saturday night, hours after a magistrate granted him bail Earlier on Saturday, the court heard that Mehajer had made an 'honest mistake' when he ordered a new bank card, which was sent to his former home. His lawyer Evan James argued that his client was unaware that the Lidcombe property had been sold earlier this year and that Mehajer believed he had permission to collect his mail, The Daily Telegraph reported. 'This was his own former mailbox,' Mr James told the court. 'He served a lengthy period in custody and his assets were taken over by a trustee. 'He had permission from the trustee to attend that property.' 'Why would he wait until 10pm to retrieve mail and manipulate a mailbox rather than knocking on the door?' Sergeant Jason Tozer told the court. 'This is a man convicted of dealing with identity information, which is often stolen from mailboxes.' As part of his bail conditions, Mehajer cannot go within 100m of his former Lidcombe home and must report to police three times a week. The one-time deputy mayor was released from jail in July 2025 following a five-year stint behind bars Mehajer was allegedly captured on CCTV at his former Lidcombe home on shortly before 10pm on Thursday 'bending and manipulating' the letterbox HIs former Lidcombe home made world headlines in 2015 when Mehajer shut down the entire street for his over-the-top wedding to Aysha Learmonth He will reappear in Parramatta Local Court on July 14.  Mehajer was released from jail in July 2025 following a five-year stint behind bars and remains on parole. He previously was jailed for lying to a court and served back-to-back sentences for a string of other offences, including domestic violence against his former partner. His incarceration included stints in Sydney's infamous Silverwater maximum-security prison and a week in Goulburn Supermax while in transit from Cooma.  Since his highly-publicised release, Mehajer has kept a low profile, apart from the occasional post on his private Instagram account, several court appearances, running errands in his Tesla Model 3 and most recently, a cafe date with his new girlfriend in Double Bay. He revealed to his Instagram followers earlier this year that he is currently writing a memoir, warning his former associates that 'not many have made it out unscathed'.   Mehajer vowed to share several extracts prior to the book's release. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.