Phoebe Burgess spent the day basking in the sun and relaxing by the pool with her children and sister as her ex-husband returned to court over a tense standoff with her father.
A NSW magistrate on Friday resumed a hearing over Mitch Hooke’s allegation he was intimidated by the towering former South Sydney star, 32, at Mr Hooke’s Southern Highlands property in October 2018.
The court has heard the argument was sparked after Burgess, who had recently separated from Mr Hooke’s daughter Phoebe Burgess, came to the end of a two-hour visit at Mr Hooke’s home.
But Phoebe appeared to pay little attention to the court case on Friday, as she splashed in the pool with her mother Sarah Hooke and sister Jemima Fairbanks.
The mum-of-two also seemingly made a subtle jab at her former partner, by reusing the nickname Burgess had given to her father.
Phoebe Burgess spent the day basking in the sun and relaxing by the pool with her children and sister as her ex-husband returned to court over a tense standoff with her father
NRL star Sam Burgess (pictured) stepped into the witness box on Friday to defend himself against allegations he intimidated his ex-wife Phoebe’s millionaire father Mitchell Hooke
Instagram stories showed a number of children paddling in the water with floating devices as the sun shone brightly.
Phoebe also snapped a picture of her sister smiling as she held onto two children in the water.
In an ode to her father, the former WAG wrote: ‘Mitchy Boy’s pool bringing the smiles.’
But the caption appeared to be a slight dig as ‘Mitchy Boy’ was the nickname Burgess would use when texting his father-in-law.
An additional Instagram story showed the mum-of-two prepared ‘morning tea for little people’, which included chopped up strawberry and banana, as well as grapes.
On Friday, Burgess begun to give evidence in a court hearing over the allegations he intimidated his former father-in-law in Bowral.
Phoebe appeared to pay little attention to the court case on Friday, as she splashed in the pool with her mother Sarah Hooke and sister Jemima Fairbanks. Instagram stories showed a number of children paddling in the water with floating devices as the sun shone brightly
Mitchell Hooke is seen with NSW Police officers at Moss Vale Court amid the hearing on Friday
The former NRL captain dubbed his ex-wife’s father ‘a bad person’ as the former mining lobbyist yelled ‘no one loves you’ amid the heated argument.
‘As I’ve left, he said ”You could have had all this”,’ Burgess told Moss Vale Local Court.
‘I said I didn’t want that, I said it’s all fake.’
Mr Hooke looked upset before the two told each other ‘f*** you’ in the Glenquarry property’s driveway, the hearing was told.
It continued as Burgess made his way to his car parked in the driveway, the former footballer said.
Mr Hooke said ‘no one loves you, your own family doesn’t love you, we loved you and you’re throwing it all away’, prompting Burgess to tell the former Minerals Council of Australia boss no one in Glenquarry liked him.
‘I closed the boot but Mitch was still saying things to me,’ Burgess said.
‘(He said) ‘I’m going to make sure I ruin your career if it’s the last thing I do.’
Phoebe also snapped a picture of her sister smiling as she held onto two children in the water
‘I said ‘you’re a bad person, you’re a piece of s***.”
Mr Hooke was standing metres away as Burgess packed his car, the 32-year-old said.
That’s in contrast to the version told by Mr Hooke in which Burgess repetitively yelled ‘I’m going to get you’ 20 centimetres from his face.
‘I remember the finger and it being right in my face,’ Mr Hooke told the court in November.
Phoebe has also given evidence her father was emotional, shaky and not making a lot of sense when she arrived home minutes later after the argument.
‘He’s gone, he had wild eyes … he just came at me,’ she said her father told her.
The formal couple smile for the camera after the David Jones Autumn Winter 2018 Collections Launch in Sydney
Burgess is accused of assaulting and intimidating Mitchell Hooke at the Hooke family home, although no actual physical violence has been alleged against him.
Burgess said his relationship with Mr Hooke had deteriorated over the last 12 months of his marriage to Phoebe but he had always treated him with respect.
He agreed Mr Hooke had helped him with some difficulties in the United Kingdom and was asked if Mr Hooke had embraced him as part of the family. ‘In his words, yes,’ he said.
Burgess called Mr Hooke ‘Mitchy Boy’ in text messages and accepted he had routinely signed off with ‘love you’ and Xs out of politeness.
‘He’s my father-in-law,’ he said.
Burgess, an England dual-international, retired in 2019 after a 270-game NRL and English Super League career.
He stood down from roles as a commentator and South Sydney assistant coach in October.
The hearing is expected to finish later on Friday.