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Byron Shire
March 29, 2024

Big Rob gets lawyer, seeks anulment

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Former Lismore mayoral candidate Big Rob.
Former Lismore mayoral candidate Big Rob.

Kebab shop owner, SCU law student and former Lismore mayoral candidate Big Rob stepped back from repeatedly defending himself at the bar table in Lismore Local Court on Monday after engaging the services of Legal Aid.

The 45 year-old faced two counts of breaching an Apprehended Personal Violence Order APVO by ‘publishing or broadcasting a person’s name prohibited by section’, and a separate matter involving an alleged assault, stalking and intimidation at a Lismore restaurant, last November.

Mr Rob has pleaded not guilty to the publication of material contravening orders of an APVO involving Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith on Saturday April 8.

Cr Smith was granted an interim APVO in March, after he alleged Mr Rob posted harassing and intimidating material about him and his family on Facebook.

Mr Rob’s solicitor Tom Trembath entered not guilty pleas to both charges of publishing or broadcasting a person’s name.

Magistrate David Heilpern ordered the brief of evidence in relation to the alleged breach of the APVO to be served on the defence by June 5.

He adjourned Mr Rob’s APVO matters until June 19.

Assault, stalking charges annulment hearing 

In a separate matter, police have applied to have two convictions against Big Rob over the alleged assault, stalking and intimidation of a woman at a Lismore sushi restaurant last November annulled.

The 2016 mayoral candidate faced three counts of stalking and intimidation, and one count of assault, over the alleged incident on November 22.

Magistrate David Heilpern told Lismore Local Court on Monday there were originally three charges listed against Mr Rob, assault, stalk/intimidate and using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

On Monday March 3, Mr Rob represented himself in the Lismore Local Court on all three charges.

When he walked from the court before Mr Heilpern had finished with his matters he was found guilty on each charge.

Police then informed Mr Rob he had been found guilty and he lodged a section 4 annulment application.

In court yesterday (April 24), Mr Heilpern said when the Commonwealth charge of using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend was previously withdrawn against Mr Rob, police replaced it with two counts of stalking and intimidation – sequences four and five.

‘Police have made an application in respect of sequences four and five,’ Mr Heilpern said.

‘The convictions with respect to sequences four and five are annulled.’

Mr Trembath then told Mr Heilpern that Mr Rob had made a section four annulment application over the remaining charges of assault and stalk/intimidate, and requested he disqualify himself from presiding over the annulment hearing.

‘If there is an application for me to disqualify myself then you need to make that application now,’ Mr Heilpern said.

No application for Mr Heilpern to disqualify himself was made.

The annulment hearing was set down for May 30 at Lismore Local Court.

 


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10 COMMENTS

    • Out of this whole story you think Isaac Smith is the one looking foolish?, come on, look at the common denominator, the lowest one at that, Big Rob, he shows no respect to the Police, he has been is the way of nearly every emergency service on the North Coast, no respect for our Magistrates, peoples privacy, different opinions and the list could go on, and you say Isaac is looking more foolish?.
      Isaac was elected Mayor, Big Rob didn’t even come close to being elected in any position, to the point of embarrassment, looks like sour grapes are fixed on the Mr.Rob menu, that’s foolish if you ask me.

    • Really Mike, is that your considered opinion. Robert Boo Hoo Hamdan aka Big Rob walked out of the Court while the Magistrate was hearing his case. He was then, properly, dealt with in his absence. And you think Isaac Smith is the one who looks foolish.

      Leaving aside the fact that Boo Hoo turns up to Court in thongs and a T Shirt, walking out when the Magistrate is hearing your matters is a clear sign of not only a fool but a complete idiot.

  1. Why does this clown get publicly-funded legal aid? He’s a walking disaster zone, his own worst enemy, making enemies as he goes along through life.

  2. The man is a serial pest. He brings these situations on himself and then gets to use legal aid
    which is hard enough to get even for those who need it through no fault of their own.

  3. The person I really feel sorry for in this whole sad sorry slow moving train wreck of Big Rob Saga is Tom Trembath, Big Rob’s Legal Aid Solicitor.

    Just imagine, you dutifully take on underpaid briefs from Legal Aid because you believe in all the noble principals of the Law. Equal Justice for all, the right to a fair hearing and that individual circumstances should not preclude you from having your day in Court.

    So consider a moment for poor Tom Trembath. Imagine how he must have felt when he picked up his slim Legal Aid file and stamped on the front is “ROB, Mr Big”. I can only imagine that Mr Trembath wished he had never been so community minded as to end up having to take on Boo Hoo’s brief.

    One final thing. Boo Hoo states on various on line venues that he runs a successful business and in addition is now the Manager of a boarding house. If so, how on earth does he qualify for Legal Aid??

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