Mel
B and husband Stephen Belafonte. Source: The Daily Telegraph
Jonathan Marshall, The Sunday Telegraph, reports
Spice Girl Mel B has taken out an AVO against a prominent celebrity paparazzo who allegedly threatened to kill her husband during a blow-up on Sydney Harbour.
Mel Brown and her husband Stephen Belafonte complained to Rose Bay police that Sydney photographer Jamie Fawcett used a boat on the city's harbour last Thursday to create "big waves" which endangered the X Factor judge, who was in a kayak.
Mr Fawcett, who will appear at Waverley Local Court on Thursday to defend allegations contained in the interim AVO, said last night: "I am happy to have the accusations ... tested by a magistrate in due course."
Documents obtained exclusively by The Sunday Telegraph allege Mr Fawcett used a rented boat to harass the couple and their personal assistant Luke Meakins while they were "relaxing" on their 13.5m launch, Time Out, at renowned nudist spot Cobblers Beach.
"Whilst the trio were anchored ... Brown has seen the defendant Fawcett hiding behind a rock on a beach looking over at the trio with a camera in his hand," the application says.
The trio claimed they travelled by boat to three other beaches in a bid to "escape" Mr Fawcett.
At 4pm, the documents allege the group returned to a mooring outside the celebrities' Fitzwilliam Rd, Vaucluse, home. "Fawcett has come up alongside them in his smaller boat at the time."
Mr Fawcett was allegedly two or three metres away at the time. Brown and Mr Meakins then left their boat, using a kayak. Belafonte remained on the luxury vessel.
"Fawcett has started circling (Brown and Mr Meakins) on the kayak, causing medium-sized waves, almost knocking the pair off the kayak."
The documents allege Belafonte saw what Mr Fawcett was doing and yelled out to him: "Why are you making such big waves - what if either of them can't swim?"
Mr Fawcett allegedly responded: "F ... you, I know about you, you duck killer."
"What are you talking about? You're obsessed, are you a psycho (sic)?" Belafonte allegedly asked.
Mr Fawcett is accused of then saying to Belafonte: "You don't know who you are f ... ing with, I will kill you."
The court will be told an offensive dialogue was then exchanged between the two men.
The documents claim Mr Fawcett constantly harasses the family to take images which he sells to magazines and newspapers around the world.
Mr Fawcett said: "I consider the application for the AVO an abuse of process being used to try and control the professional activities of a long-established media photographer."
Photographs of the star pair can fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
Brown and Belafonte told police if they do not get a permanent AVO against Mr Fawcett, which would prohibit him coming within 200 metres of them, he "may cause serious problems and/or injury ... due to his negligent behaviour".
The Sunday Telegraph understands the AVO comes at the end of a long-standing bitter relationship between Brown, Belafonte and Sydney paparazzo.
In September seven police officers attended an altercation outside a cake shop in the seaside suburb of Watsons Bay when Belafonte accused Mr Fawcett of assaulting him.
No charges were laid and Mr Fawcett hired lawyers following the incident to warn Belafonte about making false allegations and defamatory remarks.
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