The uncle of former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott has been accused of secretly recording a “highly intimate” video of a woman without her consent, as well as repeatedly breaching an apprehended violence order.
Ben Alcott, 52, an events and production manager, was granted bail in Burwood Local Court on Tuesday. He is facing two charges of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent, along with one count of knowingly contravening an AVO for a third time within 28 days.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Alcott had previously shared a close personal and professional relationship with his Paralympian nephew, and had worked on Dylan Alcott’s Ability Fest concert as recently as 2023.
The Mail has sought clarification about the current status of their relationship.
Alcott, who was once a child actor, also founded the events company Damn Good Productions. The court heard the business had worked with high-profile clients and projects including 50 Cent, Mariah Carey, Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Channel Seven’s My Kitchen Rules.
He was a four-time finalist for the Young Australian of the Year and directed the 2020 Amazon Prime eco-tourism documentary series Leave No Trace.
In 2020, Alcott wished nephew Dylan a happy 30th birthday, posting an old photo of the pair together to the Damn Good Productions’ Instagram page.
‘Happy 30th birthday to @dylanalcott (pictured here many years ago with his uncle Ben) – who would have thought such a funny, cute, talented kid would grow up to be… Dylan, Congratulations on all you’ve achieved in just 30 years, Dylan!’ he wrote.
Ben Alcott (pictured) is the uncle of former Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott
In 2020, Alcott wished his nephew a happy 30th birthday by posting this old photo of the pair on the Instagram page of his company Damn Good Productions
Ben Alcott is accused of filming and photographing a woman without her knowledge or consent during a consensual sexual encounter.
He was first charged in May and has remained in custody on remand since then, with the court hearing his first experience in jail was ‘terrifying’.
Alcott’s alleged victim is an American citizen who has returned to the United States, but is willing to give evidence via AVL in the event of a hearing, the court heard.
At the time of the alleged offending, Alcott was on bail for a previous charge of contravening an AVO, to which he had pleaded guilty and for which he was convicted and sentenced to a six-month community corrections order last month.
In defending the charges, Alcott enlisted high-profile barrister Ben Barrack, who told the court his client had turned himself in to police and granted them full access to his phone.
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Mr Barrack argued his client’s ‘relatively limited history’, pro-social background, and community ties meant that he would comply with any bail conditions, and that there was nothing to indicate he posed a risk to the community or the alleged victim.
Mr Barrack also said Alcott needed to be at liberty to manage his business as his four months in custody had left him with outstanding debts and he feared losing net worth.
The prosecutor argued that cause had not been shown in granting Alcott bail, citing the strength of the police’s case.
Alcott founded events company Damn Good Productions, working with clients including Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and Barry Humphries. (He is seen with Humphries in character as Dame Edna)
Sources tell the Mail that Alcott previously had a close personal and professional relationship with his Paralympian nephew Dylan (pictured) and worked on his Ability Fest concert as recently as 2023. The Mail has sought clarification on the current status of their relationship
‘I understand that police are in possession of a video. It is clear from the video that the complainant did not know she was being recorded. If she did not know, then she could not have consented,’ he said.
The prosecutor also said the ‘highly intimate’ video meant the alleged offending was above the mid-range of objective seriousness.
Mr Barrack argued that when Alcott could be heard in the video telling the woman, ‘No, I’m just using it for a light,’ in reference to his phone, he was speaking ‘sarcastically’.
In an affidavit, Alcott maintained that the woman knew she was being recorded and ‘she did not voice any objections or concerns’.
Judge Jennifer Price conceded that it was ‘objectively not a trivial example of this type of [alleged] offending’ and that the prosecution’s case appeared strong.
Regarding the charge of breaching an AVO three times, Judge Price noted there had been ‘some agreed contact’ between Alcott and the woman, but whether any coercion was involved remained a live issue for hearing.
Judge Price also accepted Mr Barrack’s argument that by the time the matter is heard in April 2027, Alcott’s time on remand would exceed any likely custodial sentence.
Alcott was ultimately granted bail on the conditions that he surrender his passport, report weekly to Chatswood Police Station and allow police access to his mobile phone on request.
The matter will return to Burwood Local Court for hearing on April 19.