Former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer has been involved in a car accident and taken to hospital on his way to a Sydney court to face assault charges, his lawyer says.
Mehajer, charged with allegedly robbing and assaulting a taxi driver outside Sydney's Star Casino in April, was due to appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.
But Mehajer's lawyer Brett Galloway told the judge his client had been in "a motor accident" on his way to court.
NSW Ambulance confirmed to AAP paramedics were called to a two-car accident on Delhi Street, Lidcombe, at 8.45am on Monday with one driver, a man in his 30s, suffering neck injuries and taken to Westmead Hospital.
Related reading
Mehajer ordered to pay cleaner $25,500
Mehajer, 31, was due to face a court hearing on Monday after pleading not guilty earlier this year to four offences.
Police allege in the early hours of April 2 Mehajer threw an eftpos terminal machine at the taxi driver's face and stole his iPhone - worth $1500 - outside the Star Casino at Pyrmont.
Mehajer is also alleged to have intentionally destroyed another iPhone belonging to Chiara Lisciotto, who AAP understands works at the casino.
Mehajer was arrested after the early morning incident and taken to Darlinghurst police station where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and larceny.
Related reading
Salim Mehajer appears in bizarre video asking us to 'dream'
But it didn't end there.
Hours later a taxi driver who'd come to pick up Mehajer from the Day Street police station didn't drive him away and asked police to remove Mehajer from the cab.
Mehajer later got into a white Porsche and subsequently Seven Network journalist Laura Banks was caught between the car door and the Porsche.
Police allege Mehajer caused the reporter actual bodily harm.
