Sydney businessman John Ibrahim was revealed this week to be the intended target of an alleged assassination attempt near his eastern suburbs mansion.
The Kings Cross identity, who made his fortune running nightclubs, was identified as the target of the attempted July 25 attack near his Dover Heights mansion after a court gag order was lifted on Thursday.
Two men, Yousif Zrayka and Siaosi Maeakafa Tupoulahi, were arrested near the scene after a scuffle with police and allegedly pointed a loaded gun at a neighbor they mistook for Ibrahim. They have been charged with conspiracy to murder and firearms offences.
Ibrahim, 54, who is not accused of any crime, has lived in the luxurious clifftop mansion on the exclusive seaside street for more than three decades.
His long-time fiancée, Sarah Budge, and their young son, Elvis, two, are believed to live with Ibrahim in the sprawling home, which he bought for $1.2 million in 1997.
The couple were first linked in 2013 after meeting when John bought the Potts Point building where he ran a Crane Bar restaurant, which closed during Covid.
But things have not always been rosy between the couple.
They began dating soon after and Budge, 34, revealed details of their tumultuous relationship and unique living conditions during a previous court case.
This week it was revealed that Sydney businessman John Ibrahim was the intended target of an alleged possible murder near his eastern suburbs mansion, where he lives with his fiancée Sarah Budge (both pictured).
The couple were first linked in 2013 after meeting when John bought the Potts Point building where she ran a Crane Bar restaurant, which closed during Covid.
During Budge’s weapons trial in 2019, Ibrahim’s partner said their romance had been “up and down” and claimed she had been prevented from moving in with him because she wanted her “privacy”.
Until recently, Budge lived separately in an apartment in Leichhardt, in Sydney’s inner west, and it is believed they finally moved in together in 2021, when she was pregnant with their first child.
Despite regularly posting photographs from the balcony of Ibrahim’s sprawling mansion, the New South Wales District Court heard Budge had been prevented from moving out.
“He’s quite determined in his own way and likes his space and his privacy,” she said during the 2019 trial.
The court also heard that Ibrahim had only been to Budge’s flat twice during their six-year relationship and, on one occasion, allegedly told her he had “the shitty little room”.
Their explosive private text messages were also read out during the trial and detailed how Budge had allegedly complained that Ibrahim was not making time for her.
On July 16, 2017, Budge asked Ibrahim, who she had saved on her phone as ‘Sexy John’, to call her because she “wanted to feel close” to him, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Just a few days later, on July 21, Budge allegedly texted Ibrahim to complain that she had been left “crying” after he had made no effort to see her.
She said, ‘Now I won’t be able to see you before you leave. If you want me to work, that means I’m only free on the weekend… I’ll never see you unless you start planning ahead and being fair. Now at home crying… surely you can see that I don’t want to be alone.’
Budge, 34, revealed details of their tumultuous relationship and unique living conditions during a previous court case (both pictured).
When he didn’t hear back a week later, he sent her another text message asking why she wasn’t responding to previous messages.
“Not responding means I don’t want to talk to you,” Ibrahim had responded to Budge in an exchange that occurred just over a week before his arrest on August 8, 2017.
In additional messages on August 6, just 48 hours before police raided her Double Bay unit and arrested her, Budge sent her a follow-up message.
‘Thank you for breaking down and not even responding to talk to me. Great, when I just told you that mom was in the hospital again and you know what kind of week I’m about to have and I didn’t sleep last night. Luckily I’m not weak.
Ibrahim replied: “Busy”, before Budge messaged him a day later saying: “Hi, do you remember me?”
In other text messages, Budge expressed her love for the famous nightclub figure and shared her confidence that he would ‘get back’ into their relationship.
‘I love you John, even though you’re busy, mentally you’re not here. You will come back.’
Despite their tumultuous relationship, Budge and Ibrahim continued their relationship and welcomed their son Elvis in 2021 and are now believed to be living together.
During Budge’s weapons trial in 2019, Ibrahim’s partner said their romance had been “up and down” and claimed she had been stopped from moving in with him because she wanted her “privacy” (pictured in 2013).
Following the 2019 weapons trial, Budge was acquitted of possessing a Glock 26 9mm pistol without a license.
Budge was charged after police found the gun in the bedroom of her Double Bay apartment in August 2017 during raids on the homes of members and associates of the Ibrahim family.
Ibrahim was not linked to the weapons charge or any crimes committed by his relatives, which led to the raids.
Budge was found not guilty of three firearms charges after a jury determined that prosecutors could not prove she knew the gun was in her apartment.
It marked a very difficult year for Budge after her mother Leone also died of cancer in March 2019, and her father Mark supported her during her court case.
Following her mother’s death following a two-year battle with cancer, Budge paid tribute on social media in the following days and Ibrahim supported her at her mother’s funeral.
“She was an incredibly special person who brought so much warmth and brightness to everyone around her,” Budge wrote alongside a selection of family photos.
‘So strong that he never complained while fighting a very hard battle. He loved his family, his friends, and our fur babies (maybe a little more than people, as we often joke).
Their private text messages from 2017 were also read during the trial and detailed how Budge had allegedly complained that Ibrahim wasn’t making time for her (pictured in June).
2019 marked a very difficult year for Budge after her mother Leone also died of cancer in March 2019, with Ibrahim supporting her at the funeral (pictured).
“We are very happy that we were able to be by your side and spend as much time as we could with you, but we are all shocked by how quickly it happened.”
Budge was raised by her parents in Gladesville, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, along with her brother Jack, who works in construction.
Jack has previously posted several photos with Ibrahim and Budge on Facebook over the years, often in bars and restaurants around Sydney.
Budge trained as a makeup artist and worked part-time in nightclubs in the city’s financial district before founding Crane Bar in Kings Cross in December 2012.
Budge has also worked as a model, appearing in television campaigns for Virgin Australia and starring in photo shoots for lingerie and swimsuit brands.
In 2020, Budge was disappointed when she was unable to reopen Crane Bar following the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Sarah is a little heartbroken,” a friend said at the time. “She’s discouraged right now.”
Restrictions caused by the Covid crisis, including limits on customer numbers, forced Budge to make the painful decision to close its doors permanently.
“Unfortunately, Crane is another victim of the coronavirus,” the source continued. ‘Crane will be one of many to come. She will focus on other things.
Despite their tumultuous relationship, Budge and Ibrahim continued their relationship and welcomed their son Elvis in 2021 and are now believed to be living together.
In 2012, Crane Bar, known for its Japanese fusion food, opened to much fanfare with a lavish event attended by former X Factor host Luke Jacobz and Home and Away star Dan Ewing.
It originally had a coveted 24-hour license and could host evening corporate and social functions for up to 350 guests.
Laws introduced in 2014 to reduce alcohol-fueled violence in Kings Cross meant 1.30am lockouts and last drinks at 3am, with Covid proving to be the last straw.
Ibrahim once operated a series of nightclubs in Cross, but his main business interests in the former party grounds are now real estate.
As well as sharing a son, Elvis, with Budge, Ibrahim also has an adult son, Daniel, in his 30s, from a past relationship.
