Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Margaret Scheikowski

Ex-manager said Sebastian owed him $1.2m

Jules Sebastian (centre) has told a court her husband, musician Guy Sebastian, is not a violent man. (AAP)

Guy Sebastian's former manager who's accused of embezzling money from the pop singer told police his ex-client owed him $1.2 million.

"Why isn't he being picked up for fraud, for not paying me commissions? I don't understand it," Titus Day said in the July 2020 interview.

It was played to the jury on Friday at the 49-year-old's NSW District Court trial.

He's pleaded not guilty to 50 charges claiming he fraudulently embezzled almost $900,000 allegedly owed to Sebastian through royalties and performance fees.

The musician first filed a Federal Court civil lawsuit against Day in July 2018, when he says he discovered money was owed to him.

Two years later he approached police when he allegedly discovered "criminal behaviour".

In the interview, Day is taken through numerous transactions, some involving amounts paid into his trust account.

Sometimes, the whole amount is transferred into his general account while other times a lesser payment is made to Sebastian and the balance paid into the general account.

Day told police many of the matters were "part of the Federal Court proceedings that are happening between Guy and myself".

"If I took any money across, it was because they were commission owed."

He said Sebastian terminated his contract six months before the set term, owing him commissions of about $1.2 million.

He held some monies back, telling Sebastian "the rest of the $1.2 million you can keep it and disappear out of my life".

"I have never taken money that was not owed," he said.

Some transactions were very old and he did not remember them but "I am sure there is an explanation for all of this".

The jury has previously been told Sebastian approached police two days after being served with an AVO taken out by Day.

The singer denied a suggestion by Day's barrister, Dominic Toomey SC, that he did so to avert the AVO.

The singer said Day in that AVO was also trying to weaponise an incident in which Sebastian had told him that he once chased and "headbutted" an intruder trying to break into his family home.

Earlier on Friday, Jules Sebastian repeatedly said her husband was not violent when asked about the 2012 incident and the AVO.

She agreed a young man faced court over the incident, but the charges were withdrawn after she gave evidence and then her triple-zero emergency call was played.

"Your husband headbutted that young man," Mr Toomey suggested.

"I know he was holding the man that came and tried to break into my house, alone with my nine-week old baby, when he came in there was contact of some description but it wasn't an intentional headbutt that I could see," she said.

"There was contact of some degree."

She agreed that she knew there was a suggestion her husband had a violent history when Day took out the AVO.

She "possibly" knew the reference was linked back to the 2012 incident.

"I wasn't thinking about that," she said.

"I was not concerned because he is not a violent man."

She agreed she may have expressed a concern to Day's wife Courtney about what she had said in her police statement about the 2012 incident.

She could not remember if she told her she was seeing a counsellor because of those concerns.

"I have seen counsellors for various things in my life," she said.

"The whole process was very trying and scary and I didn't enjoy it. It was a very hard time."

The trial is continuing.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.