The lawyer for Titus Emanuel Day, the former manager of Australian singer Guy Sebastian, has told a Sydney court that police may have been 'seduced' by the star's high profile while investigating allegations of embezzlement. Day, 49, has pleaded not guilty to 50 charges of defrauding Sebastian of nearly $1 million through unpaid royalties and performance fees.
In his opening address at the Downing Centre District Court, defence barrister Dominic Toomey SC suggested that authorities might have been wilfully blind to his client's explanations. 'You may wonder whether the authorities, particularly the police, were even wilfully blind to that,' Toomey said. 'Seduced perhaps, by Mr Sebastian's high profile. Indeed, you might even wonder whether there was an ulterior purpose on the part of Sebastian and the police in the pursuit of criminal charges.'
Prosecutors allege that Day, who managed Sebastian through his company 6 Degrees between 2009 and 2017, embezzled $900,000 between 2013 and 2020. Sebastian testified that after winning Australian Idol in 2003, he signed a five-album contract with BMG Records, which later merged with Sony. He met Day through Day's wife, Courtney, who was his A&R representative at Sony. Sebastian said Day referred to him as his 'foundation client' when starting 6 Degrees.
The court heard that no formal contract existed between Day and Sebastian. After an 'acrimonious and hostile' split, Sebastian allegedly discovered anomalies in royalty payments. Sebastian later sued Day for owed money, and Day counter-claimed for commission on gifts from sponsors. The trial continues.
