Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro will be back in court after denying allegations he assaulted a cameraman outside a Sydney bar.
The case against the 51-year-old will come before Manly Local Court on Wednesday.
The now-retired politician has been accused of assaulting freelance camera operator Matt Costello outside a Manly bar on the evening of July 23 and damaging his equipment.
Footage circulated online shows the pair struggling as they grab and push one another while Costello tries to film the former NSW Nationals leader, who then walks away.
Barilaro later confirmed the incident, saying he was confronted in the dark outside a bar and felt harassed during a night out with friends.
“To come out and have a camera shoved in your face. I’m a private citizen,” he told 2GB in July.
“All I did was push a camera out of my way. I did not manhandle an individual.”
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He was charged in late August with assaulting Costello and intentionally or recklessly damaging his Sony PXW-X180 camera.
Barilaro resigned from parliament in October 2021, but has faced ongoing controversy.
He first took out his now-settled defamation case against YouTuber Jordan Shanks, better known as friendlyjordies.
He then faced questions from an independent inquiry over his appointment to a $500,000-a-year NSW government trade job in New York.
