For the second time this year, a business stoush involving a deli and a supermarket on Sydney's north shore have landed former NRL star John Hopoate in court.
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The former Manly Sea Eagles player was charged with intimidation, theft and contravening an AVO on Thursday after a continuing conflict with a business owner flared up again.
In June, Hopoate, 42, pleaded guilty to assaulting an employee of Superfresh supermarket, which adjoins the Delitalia Crows Nest.
Hopoate has a 75 per cent share in the deli.
However, unlike on that occasion, when Hopoate conceded his wrongdoing, he claims this time that he has been targeted in someone else's fabricated story.
"I hate how people just make up stories and then you get charged for it," he said as he left Manly police station on Friday.
Police allege Hopoate made a threat against, and intimidated, Superfresh owner Carmelo De Velli on Wednesday.
He is also accused of stealing a bottle of coconut water from the store.
Hopoate is on an 18-month good behaviour bond for the assault of a Superfresh employee in May and is accused of breaching that bond.
Manly Local Court heard on Friday that an ongoing and long-standing dispute over the adjoining deli-supermarket premises formed the backdrop for the current allegations.
Earlier this year Hopoate was granted a Supreme Court injunction preventing managers of Superfresh from intervening in the operations of the deli.
Hopoate's barrister, John Galluzzo, said that, despite this, Mr De Velli, the victim, approached a deli employee in an incident that preceded the alleged intimidation by a couple of days.
CCTV from inside the store, shown to the magistrate, showed Mr De Velli push past the deli employee and point at him before someone else moved the pair apart, Mr Galluzzo said.
The deli employee stepped outside to call Hopoate. Days later, Hopoate approached Mr De Velli and reminded him about the Supreme Court injunction.
Police allege Hopoate threatened Mr De Velli and intimidated him, allegations the former Australian heavyweight boxing champion denies.
The prosecution said that Hopoate, a father of 10, had a flagrant disregard for the law and court orders, given his criminal history.
The victim was entitled to run his business without that sort of intimidating behaviour, the police prosecutor told the court.
Magistrate Christopher Longley granted Hopoate bail, on the condition he not approach the victim or enter the Superfresh supermarket.
Asked by reporters outside court if would continue his business, Hopate replied: "I've got 10 kids, they've gotta eat."
He claimed he had done absolutely nothing and was being targeted because of "who I am".
The case was adjourned to October 26.
Hopoate, who represented Manly, Wests Tigers and Northern Eagles, courted controversy throughout a 13-year, 209-game, first-grade rugby league career, during which he represented Australia, NSW and Tonga.
