Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli breaks his silence over the gastric giardia infection that has left him bedbound for weeks
Billionaire petrolhead Adrian Portelli has revealed the brutal effects of a dodgy oyster that has kept him from appearing in court over hooning allegations.
Portelli now claims he contracted a giardia infection - an intestinal infection marked by stomach cramps, bloating, nausea and bouts of watery diarrhoea.
Appearing in bed alongside strategically placed bottles of water and Powerade, Portelli attributed the illness on seafood he ate weeks earlier.
'I went to Sydney at the start of Feb, had some oysters, got really, really freaking sick. The whole of February was a write-off,' he posted from his sickbed late on Tuesday night.
'I've been laying low, you wouldn't have seen me on social (media).'
Portelli claimed he had taken an abundance of tests to try and ascertain what was wrong with him.
'I've done a saliva test, pee test, s*** test, blood test. I've had iron infusions, B12 shot, I had the multi-vitamin drip , I had a colonic done. I have to go for a gastroscopy now because I might be Celiac,' he said via his Instagram page.
'Anyway, we're getting there. I'm on my third round of antibiotics. They're knocking me about but big thank you. Everyone just be careful out there. There's apparently an outbreak in Sydney.'
The 36-year old had been due to appear in person at the Sunshine Magistrates' Court on Tuesday to defend allegations of hooning, but was allowed to appear via video link from his office.
He again appeared by video link when the trial resumed on Wednesday.
The entrepreneur, who made a name for himself buying houses from The Block, is charged with careless driving, failing to have proper control of a vehicle and driving in a manner causing a vehicle to lose traction.
When cops pulled him over just before Christmas 2020, they claimed he had intentionally pulled a burnout through a roundabout in his former partner's Mercedes Benz C63 in Melbourne's west.
Body worn camera footage captured by Leading Senior Constable Glenn Hutton saw a smiling Portelli seemingly admit to the alleged hooning.
'G’day mate, picked a bad day to do circle work around the roundabout,' Sen-Constable Hutton put to Portelli.
'Oh mate, tell me about it,' Portelli replied, in what prosecutors claim was a black-and-white acceptance of guilt.
But on Wednesday, Portelli told the Sunshine Magistrates' Court he was confused by the officer's use of 'slang' with the term 'circle work'.
Prosecutors claim any car enthusiast knows that the term means a circular burnout.
Mr Portelli - who is renowned for his extensive collection of high-end sports cars -claimed he only laughed when approached by police because he was 'nervous'.
'To be honest it was a nervous response and a frazzled response,' he told the court from the comfort of his home.
Portelli claimed he had been lost when police saw him allegedly perform the burnout around the roundabout.
'I was clearly lost. I was going around a roundabout in the middle of nowhere (on) a rainy day in a new estate where visibility was poor and I was lost,' he said.
Prosecutor Alex Turner put it to Portelli he behaved the way he did because he had been caught 'red handed' performing 'circle work' by two police officers.
'That's completely incorrect. My interpretation of circle work is completely different to yours,' Portelli said.
The court heard Portelli made no inquiries to police about what they meant about 'circle work'.
'The informant should have used proper terminology,' Portelli argued.
'If I have to ask the informant about his slang terminology then, I just didn't take note of it to be honest. At that point in time I was in a nervous state, I was frazzled, I was frustrated and that was my response.'
Portelli claimed he only smiled when approached by police because that was his usual reaction when placed under pressure.
'I'm generally always smiling, so it could be a nervous smile,' he told the court.
Portelli claimed he travelled around the roundabout one-and-a-half times because his GPS 'bugged out' and he was attempting to get his bearings.
'It was just a moment. I’m sure anyone that’s used a GPS [has experienced a glitch]. It just gave off the wrong directions. I was just frazzled,' he maintained.
In closing the case on Wednesday, Mr Turner claimed Portelli had 'fabricated' his evidence under oath and called on Magistrate Michael McNamara to reject most of what he told the court.
Mr McNamara will deliver his decision on March 13, when he will also decide if he will release police footage to the media with other material tendered.
