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Courier-Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Jury discharged in Guy Sebastian's manager's trial
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music. Followed categories will be added to My News. The jury has been discharged in the trial of Guy Sebastian's former manager Titus Day after they were unable to reach a verdict on more than 30 counts that he allegedly embezzled money from his pop star client. Mr Day was on Tuesday found not guilty of four counts of embezzlement after facing a long-running trial in the NSW District Court. However the jury remained deadlocked on the remaining charges and was on Wednesday discharged by Judge Alister Abadee. Mr Day stood trial in the NSW District Court where he battled allegations he embezzled more than $600,000 in royalties and performance fees from the Australian Idol winner between 2013 and 2020. Since his arrest more than five years ago, Day has denied the allegations and he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant. He also pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. Guy Sebastian arrives at the Downing Centre Court. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short Titus Day arrives at the Downing Centre Court. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short On Tuesday, the jury returned verdicts finding Day not guilty of four counts of embezzlement. Those four counts related to allegations that he embezzled over $113,000 worth of Mr Sebastian's performance fees relating to a Big Bash game, a wedding, a corporate gig for Harvey Norman and an ambassadorship with Dreamworld. On Tuesday, the court was told that the jury believed they could not come to unanimous verdicts on the remaining counts, but they were encouraged to continue deliberating. Judge Alister Abadee on Tuesday afternoon gave the jury a direction that they could consider an 11-1 verdict on the outstanding 31 counts. However after another day of deliberations, the jury was on Wednesday afternoon discharged because they could not reach verdicts on those remaining counts. It was the second time Mr Day stood trial after he was in 2022 found guilty of 34 counts of embezzlement and acquitted of a further 16 embezzlement counts. He was jailed for a maximum of four years, with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years. However after serving seven months, he was released from jail after his convictions were quashed by the Court of Criminal Appeal and a re-trial was ordered. He will now appear before the court again on August 18, with the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide whether to proceed with a third trial. Titus Day and Guy Sebastian before their split. Picture: Supplied Mr Day stood trial accused of embezzling over $620,000 in performance fees and royalties by failing to remit the money to Mr Sebastian. Mr Day maintained that some accounting errors were the result of family difficulties at the time which resulted in his attention being elsewhere, and a mistaken belief that some of the money that came into his company's account for Mr Sebastian related to another client. He also held a view that the former Australian Idol winner owed him unpaid commissions, his barrister Thomas Woods told the court during the trial. Mr Woods also told the court that performance fees from the Swift tour were used to purchase shares on Mr Sebastian's behalf. 'It is not implausible that my client made a wrong assumption in relation to these counts in the indictment … That he made a mistake is not fanciful or far fetched,' Mr Woods told the jury. Titus Day (L) arrives at the JMT Downing in Sydney. Picture: Christian Gilles / NewsWire During his closing address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC said Mr Day had fabricated invoices to demand payment from Mr Sebastian. Mr Day denied having fabricated the documents and his barrister Thomas Woods argued the allegation could not be proven and was 'fanciful'. Mr Sebastian first worked with Day while he was with his former talent agency, 22 Management. Mr Sebastian agreed to follow him as a marquee client when Day created his own agency, 6 Degrees Management, in 2009. The court heard that Mr Sebastian was Day's long-time client and friend, however they had a bitter falling out in 2017 after Mr Sebastian raised questions over financial records. Mr Sebastian during his evidence told the court he was happy with Mr Day's management when he first moved into his stable. But tensions arose when he sought information and clarification about payments. Originally published as Jury discharged in Guy Sebastian's manager's trial
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Major update in pop star manager's case
Guy Sebastian's former manager has been found not guilty of four counts of embezzling money from the former pop star. Titus Emanuel Day stood trial in the NSW District Court where he battled allegations he embezzled more than $600,000 in royalties and performance fees from the Australian Idol winner between 2013 and 2020. Since his arrest more than five years ago, Day has denied the allegations and he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant. He also pleaded not guilty to one count of attempting to dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception. Guy Sebastian arrives at the Downing Centre Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Titus Day arrives at the Downing Centre Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia On Tuesday, the jury returned verdicts finding Day not guilty of four counts of embezzlement. Those four counts related to allegations that he embezzled over $113,000 worth of Mr Sebastian's performance fees relating to a Big Bash game, a wedding, a corporate gig for Harvey Norman and an ambassadorship with Dreamworld. The jury on Tuesday rejected the Crown prosecution's version of events relating to those counts. They have been told to continue to deliberate on the remaining 31 counts. Mr Day stood trial accused of embezzling over $620,000 in performance fees and royalties by failing to remit the money to Mr Sebastian. Mr Day maintained that some accounting errors were the result of family difficulties at the time which resulted in his attention being elsewhere, and a mistaken belief that some of the money that came into his company's account for Mr Sebastian related to another client. He also held a view that the former Australian Idol winner owed him unpaid commissions, his barrister Thomas Woods told the court during the trial. Mr Woods also told the court that performance fees from the Swift tour were used to purchase shares on Mr Sebastian's behalf. 'It is not implausible that my client made a wrong assumption in relation to these counts in the indictment … That he made a mistake is not fanciful or far fetched,' Mr Woods told the jury. Titus Day (L) arrives at the JMT Downing in Sydney. Christian Gilles / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia During his closing address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC said Mr Day had fabricated invoices to demand payment from Mr Sebastian. Mr Day denied having fabricated the documents and his barrister Thomas Woods argued the allegation could not be proven and was 'fanciful'. Mr Sebastian first worked with Day while he was with his former talent agency, 22 Management. Mr Sebastian agreed to follow him as a marquee client when Day created his own agency, 6 Degrees Management, in 2009. The court heard that Mr Sebastian was Day's long-time client and friend, however they had a bitter falling out in 2017 after Mr Sebastian raised questions over financial records. Mr Sebastian during his evidence told the court he was happy with Mr Day's management when he first moved into his stable. But tensions arose when he sought information and clarification about payments.
Perth Now
04-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Major update in pop star's court case
A jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the trial of Guy Sebastian's former manager Titus Day who is alleged to have embezzled over $600,000 from his former client. For the last month, Mr Day has stood trial in the NSW District Court in Sydney where he has battled allegations that he stole from his former friend and the one-time Australian Idol winner. He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of embezzlement as a clerk or servant. It's alleged that Mr Day failed to remit over $620,000 in performance fees and royalties to Mr Sebastian that were collected by his 6 Degrees talent agency. It is alleged he embezzled performance fees, including $187,000 for supporting Taylor Swift on her 2013 tour of Australia, as well as for private weddings, a Big Bash cricket game and corporate events. He has also pleaded not guilty to one count of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception, relating to allegations he deceived the liquidator after his company was placed into liquidation. Titus Day pictured as he arrives at Downing Centre courts in Sydney. NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: News Corp Australia During his closing address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC said Mr Day had fabricated invoices to deceive Mr Sebastian. 'The fact that he went to the trouble to create these invoices that were not accurate shows that he knew that he had not honestly accounted to Mr Sebastian for the relevant transactions at the time – that he fraudulently embezzled the money,' Mr Hatfield told the court. 'And that was the reason why he would have done what he did in creating these documents to account for the transactions retrospectively.' Mr Day, through his defence, has claimed that he failed to remit some of the money to Mr Sebastian because of an accounting error and a mistaken belief that the income related to another client. Guy Sebastian leaves the Downing Centre Court. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia He has further claimed he believed he was entitled to hold onto other funds because of unpaid commissions and that he used other money to invest in shares for Mr Sebastian. 'Whenever Mr Day held onto money that had come into the 6 Degrees account, he did it believing he was entitled to do so,' Mr Day's barrister Thomas Woods told the jury in his closing address. 'He is not guilty of any offence of embezzlement.' The court has been told that Mr Day says some accounting errors were the result of family difficulties at the time which resulted in his attention being elsewhere The trial concluded on Wednesday at the conclusion of closing arguments from Mr Day's defence. Following Judge Alister Abadee's summing up on Friday, the jury retired to consider its verdicts on the 35 counts.
Express Tribune
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Perth blockbuster to open BBL15
Perth Scorchers will be in action against Sydney Sixers in the opening match of the Big Bash League. Photo: Cricket Australia Pakistan superstar Babar Azam and the Sydney Sixers will head across the country to launch the 15th KFC BBL season with a blockbuster in Perth with as league officials pin hopes this will be the biggest bash yet. League boss Alastair Dobson declared BBL|15 was "the season we've been waiting a long time for" as a perfect storm of a clear window for fixturing and international star availability meets the huge wave of hype an Ashes Test summer generates. The full Big Bash fixture was released today, a 44-game schedule running from December 14 to January 25, with a regular, nightly prime-time feast that breaks only for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. "Obviously anything we do around an Ashes summer is huge but to then have a good clear run of nights available from mid-December to the end of January where we can play the BBL every night is one that adds up to a pretty strong season for us," said Dobson. With the Ashes to finish in the first week of January in Sydney, there's a strong possibility the likes of Steve Smith, Travis Head and other Test stars could close out the summer with their Big Bash clubs, including the finals campaign, something Dobson said "gives us confidence this will be as good as year as we've ever had". It's the second successive season the Perth Scorchers have hosted the BBL opener, with their rivalry against the Sixers earmarked as a blockbuster between the competition's two most successful franchises. Every club plays at home in the first 10 days of the season, with the Melbourne Renegades to host their first two fixtures in Geelong in a bid to give the Marvel Stadium surface more time to be fit for elite cricket following criticism last summer. A rematch between last summer's finalists will see the Sydney Thunder return to meet Hobart Hurricanes on December 16. League officials have also fine-tuned the schedule in a bid to ensure every match of the 40-game regular season impacts the finals, with every team to play at home in the final week. That will culminate in another blockbuster clash with the Sixers travelling north to the Gabba to face the Brisbane Heat in a showdown between Pakistan superstar Azam and No.1 draft pick Shaheen Shah Afridi. The league's finals series will follow the same four-game format as previous seasons beginning with the Qualifier on January 20 and concluding with a prime-time BBL|15 Final on Sunday, January 25. Of the current men's Test squad, Usman Khawaja (Heat), Nathan Lyon (Renegades), Beau Webster (Hurricanes), Josh Inglis (Scorchers) Steve Smith (Sixers) and Scott Boland (Stars) all have BBL deals for the upcoming summer. The Stars, who traditionally play one of their five home games away from the MCG due to the Boxing Day Test, will again host the Thunder in Canberra, this year on December 28. As they were last season, Sydney and Perth will be the focal point for a Boxing Day BBL double header, with the Sixers hosting the Stars at the SCG before the Scorchers and Hurricanes go head-to-head at Optus Stadium. For the 13th consecutive season, the Adelaide Strikers will host their annual New Year's Eve celebration – this time against the Brisbane Heat. And 2025 will start in style with a New Year's Day double header – featuring the Renegades at Marvel for the first time this season, against the Sixers, before the Hurricanes host the Scorchers at Ninja Stadium. The Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades will face off in their hotly anticipated derbies in the New Year, with a 6:05pm start time locked in for an MCG blockbuster on January 4. While the two Sydney Smash fixtures will take place on Saturday, December 20 (ENGIE Stadium), and Friday, January 16 (SCG).
The Australian
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
No Big Bash games on Christmas Day or Australia Day
Big Bash officials have once again baulked at putting a match on Christmas Day and will finish the 42-day tournament on the eve of Australia Day. Only a washout of the final will put cricket on January 26. A December 14 start for the tournament has been locked in with a Boxing Day showdown between the Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars and a 13th consecutive News Year's Eve clash in Adelaide among the fixture highlights. Pakistan star Babar Azam looms as the headline international act this season, with several of his teammates, including speed demon Shaheen Shaf Afridi, joining the playing ranks. An Ashes Test series will rob the Big Bash of the best Australian and English talent until the final two or three weeks of the tournament, which will finish on January 25, with January 26 slotted as a reserve day for the final. Cricket Australia hasn't played on January 26 since 2023 and has refrained from any mention of Australia Day amid concerns from some players, including Indigenous women's star Ash Gardner, about the implications of playing on a day that has different significance among Australians. Christmas Day was also ruled out, meaning the NBL remains the only Australian sport willing to take the plunge on that day. 'With uninterrupted action every night of the regular season and all the marquee games our fans love, this schedule ensures the BBL remains the heartbeat of summer,' Big Bash boss Alastair Dobson said. 'The fan-favourite fixtures, combined with the family-friendly entertainment that makes the Big Bash, has BBL|15 well positioned to build on the success of last summer. 'We were blown away by the quality of overseas talent signed via the BBL draft and can't wait to see these global superstars in action alongside some of Australia's biggest names.' Despite making himself eligible, English pace ace Jofra Archer was overlooked in the BBL draft, with clubs fearful he would be unavailable due to the Ashes. Archer returned to the England squad for the series against India but missed selection in the second Test.
