Australia: Police investigating brawl between billionaire, his friend

Sydney: Police said Tuesday they were investigating a very public street brawl between one of Australia’s richest businessmen and a top television executive in an exclusive Sydney beachside suburb. News Corp reportedly paid more than $200,000 for pictures of the fight between casino mogul James Packer and his longtime friend David Gyngell, chief executive of Nine Entertainment, outside Packer’s luxury apartment at Bondi Beach on Sunday. The pictures of the pair throwing punches and grappling with each other on the ground were published in newspapers across Australia on Tuesday. Packer, 46, is chairman of Crown Resorts and has interests in casinos in Australia, Macau and Manila. Forbes lists him as Australia’s third-richest person worth an estimated $6.6 billion. [caption id=“attachment_1510507” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] James Packer is seen in this file photo. AFP[/caption] New South Wales state police on Tuesday said they were investigating the melee and appealed for any witnesses to come forward, despite no official complaint being made. The Nine Network broadcast a statement in which it said its 47-year-old boss, Gyngell, accepted blame for the fight. Gyngell and Packer have been friends since high school and have been the best man at each other’s weddings. “David Gyngell respects the job police do and will cooperate fully with their investigation,” the statement said. “He also fully accepts that he was the instigator of the incident,” it said. “Clearly had he not turned up at Packer’s premises in an angry mood, then the confrontation would never have occurred.” New Corp reported that Packer sent Gyngell an angry text message after seeing a Nine television van parked near his apartment and assumed he was being staked out by a television crew. Nine employee Nick Tokic later told reporters that he lived near Packer and had brought the van home overnight for an early job Monday morning. Packer had just arrived home in Sydney from Jerusalem. An angry Gyngell’s car was blocking the driveway when Packer arrived at his apartment. The pair fought for several minutes while Packer’s driver and security guard attempted to separate them. Packer and Gyngell released a joint media statement on Monday which they said would be their last word on the fight. “We have been friends for 35 years and still are,” they said. “In that time, we have had our fair share of ups and downs.” Associated Press