The property developer ex-boyfriend of a former MAFS star – who famously fled from her firefighter groom on their wedding night – has walked away from court with a $1000 fine and community service for flouting AVOs.
Lauren Bran was dubbed the ‘MAFS runaway bride’ in 2017 during season 4 of the hit reality show after she ditched her new husband, Andrew ‘Jonesy’ Jones, at a Bondi pub just hours after their on-screen nuptials.
Weeks later, she posted loved-up photos with her new boyfriend Jake Barnett – a bankrupt property developer and single father-of-two from Sydney’s Sutherland Shire – during a trip to Hamilton Island.
But their relationship quickly soured, ending with police taking out four apprehended violence orders against him on her behalf – the first of which was in 2017, just two months after their island getaway.
The orders were in place for two years, during which time he was banned from approaching her, destroying her property, assaulting or threatening her.
Earlier this year, Barnett appeared in court over three counts of breaching an AVO and one count of stalking and intimidation.
He was refused bail and eventually retained celebrity lawyer Bryan Wrench to defend him.
Lauren Bran (pictured) had four apprehended violence orders against her ex-boyfriend, Jake Barnett
Lauren Bran married Andrew Jones (pictured on MAFS) on television in 2017, but left him hours later
A friend of Ms Bran told Daily Mail Australia she was ‘shocked’ by the outcome.
In June, Barnett pleaded guilty in Waverley Local Court to one count of contravening an AVO. He was sentenced to a 12 month community corrections order.
In September, he appeared in Sydney’s Downing Centre and pleaded guilty to a second count of contravening an AVO.
According to court documents, Mr Barnett ‘knowingly’ contravened an apprehended violence order between 10.09am and 7.20pm on April 4, 2024.
He was ordered to pay a $1000 fine and sentenced to a further nine-month community corrections order.
The further AVO breach and stalking charge were withdrawn and dismissed.
Lauren Bran met Jake Burnett (pictured together) a week after she left Andrew Jones
The couple went to Hamilton Island in February 2017 (pictured) and started working together
Ms Bran previously revealed she met Mr Barnett while at a pub with her mother in the Sutherland Shire, one week after she left MAFS groom.
He approached her table, asked her on a date and bought a cup of tea for her mother.
‘We just kind of fell into each other’s lap,’ she said, at the time.
‘Jake is also a successful property developer from the Sutherland Shire, and I now work alongside him within a business that has just launched a new $50 million development site.
‘He shares the same drive, ambition, values and morals as I do.’
In 2021, a concrete company bankrupted Mr Barnett over an unpaid $7,000 bill.
