A former high-flying property executive has told a court he stole a taxi in Sydney’s CBD to escape a group of men who were trying to kill him.
Brett Henson had a dispute with a taxi driver, Sayeed Ali Khan, over a broken door handle shortly before 9pm on November 4, 2022, claiming a court robbing the taxi was the “only option” for him save the life.
Police allege he stole the silver taxi on Hunter St in the CBD while drunk after threatening Mr Khan.
The 42-year-old told Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Monday he was “petrified” after the argument.
Mr Henson had tried to get into the taxi but told the court he was knocked backwards to the ground when the door handle broke. He denied falling due to alcohol poisoning.
Former Mirvac executive Brett Henson is seen at Downing Center Court in Sydney on Monday.
He told the court that Mr Khan, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, said he would “add it to the bill” when he returned home, but the driver then asked him to remove the money from an ATM.
The former Mirvac executive said Mr Khan was “extremely aggressive” and tried to “extort” money before a group of five men attacked him. Mr Henson told the court the group implicated Mr Khan.
“They were taking the side of the taxi driver who was trying to get money from me, get my phone or my wallet.” I said leave me alone,” Mr Henson said.
“When they were chasing me, I said ‘just call the police’ and they said ‘we’re the police’.”
Mr Henson is battling a string of driving offenses at a local court hearing, including theft of a motor vehicle and dangerous driving.
The former real estate personality was arrested in late 2022 after photos of the incident were released by NSW Police. He is now unemployed.
He told the court the men, all of whom were “much taller” than him, told Mr Henson they were the “Muslim Brotherhood”.
CCTV footage allegedly shows Mirvac executive Brett Henson falling onto his back after an altercation with a Sydney taxi driver.
Mr Henson tried to run away from the group but told the court they would not leave him alone and surrounded him for 10 minutes.
“I was petrified of trying to get away from these guys,” Mr Henson told the court.
He told the court he was “belted up” and landed on the ground with his shirt torn, causing bruising to his arms, hip and chest.
The court was told the men were saying “Let’s go f***ing get him”.
“I had to get away from there, I had no other way to escape… I can’t call the police… there is no other option,” said M .Henson in court.
Mr Henson managed to get away from the group and jumped into the taxi.
He told the court he was terrified of the group and so drove through several red lights before finally stopping at an intersection in the eastern suburbs.
Asked by his lawyer what was going through his mind, Mr. Henson replied: “These guys are going to kill me.
“I would be the victim of a kingpin and my family would be here instead of me being here today to explain.”
Cross-examined by a police prosecutor, Mr Henson told the court he was being “aggressively” pursued by the group.
“They were harassing me, harassing me,” he said.
Police allege Mr Henson drove dangerously before the car was abandoned in Woollahra with “significant damage”.
Mr Henson’s lawyer Paul McGirr told the court during the first part of the hearing last year that his client took the taxi because he was “under duress”.
Last year, Mr Khan told the court Mr Henson was “aggressive” and shouted at himself, other taxi drivers and passers-by gathered on the busy CBD street.
Mr Khan claimed Mr Henson said “(do you) want to fight with me?”
In his opening statement, Mr McGirr said identity “would not be an issue” in the case, while relegating allegations about his intoxication to a “secondary issue”.
Mr Henson was allegedly a senior director of capital transactions for property development giant Mirvac at the time of the alleged offense and owns a $3.3 million home in Bronte.
The hearing continues before Magistrate Gregory Moore.