Chainsaws, court orders, and an ABC presenter—this neighbour feud went off the rails!
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A bitter neighbourhood dispute has dragged ABC personality Myf Warhurst into a legal storm.
What started as a disagreement over a concrete fence spiralled into police intervention, court orders, and assault allegations.
And now, the woman at the centre of it all claims the public broadcaster showed bias against her.
Warhurst and her then-partner, architect Brian Steendyk, lived next to Karla Martinez in North Warrandyte, on the outskirts of Melbourne.
The feud erupted over the construction of a concrete wall between the two properties, with the couple claiming part of it encroached on their land.
According to reports, tensions boiled over on 28 December 2022, when Steendyk used a chainsaw to cut through 26 metres of the dividing fence.
Martinez claimed things had initially been friendly, saying: ‘Everything started out friendly enough and I even went over and brought her a bottle of wine to welcome her to the neighbourhood.’
‘But all hell broke loose as soon as they found out we were going to start constructing a concrete wall along the property line.’
Steendyk later alleged he was struck in the face and back by Martinez with an agricultural drainage pipe.
‘Without warning I felt a sharp whack to my face, head and back,’ his witness statement read.
‘The force of this whack threw my glasses from my head, and tore skin from the bridge of my nose.’
‘Stunned, I stepped back from the fence and looked up to see Karla Martinez with a long agricultural drainage pipe in her hand standing over where I had just been crouched down and yelling obscenities to me.’
Police from Eltham station arrived on the scene, and Martinez was initially charged with assault.
Dramatic footage captured by body-worn cameras documented the tense aftermath.
However, those charges were dropped by the police prosecutor before the matter reached court.
Martinez admitted the fence veered ‘around 30cm’ onto Warhurst’s property.
She said: ‘Brian grabbed a chainsaw and a grinder and started demolishing the fence because he claimed it was on his property.’
‘She hated it – the wall, design, everything.’
Both households sought legal protection, with Martinez and Steendyk filing interim intervention orders against each other.
Martinez also accused the the media of unfair reporting in an article published on 5 May 2024, which was later removed.
She said she was identified by name while Warhurst and Steendyk were not, with Warhurst only referred to as an unnamed ‘ABC contractor’.
Warhurst denied having any involvement in the publication of the article.
It is understood she and Steendyk have since separated.
Warhurst remains best known for her role as a host on the ABC’s long-running music quiz show Spicks and Specks.
ABC has been contacted for comment.
Disputes over property lines can quickly turn emotional—especially when communication breaks down between neighbours.
If you thought a fence was bad, another story shows just how high the stakes can get when a backyard upgrade sparks legal trouble.
Here’s what happened when a swimming pool project turned into a $137K courtroom drama.
Read more: 'You can't get through to them': Neighbours' swimming pool feud cost one pensioner $137K
When neighbourly tensions turn violent, how far is too far in defending what you believe is yours?
What started as a disagreement over a concrete fence spiralled into police intervention, court orders, and assault allegations.
And now, the woman at the centre of it all claims the public broadcaster showed bias against her.
Warhurst and her then-partner, architect Brian Steendyk, lived next to Karla Martinez in North Warrandyte, on the outskirts of Melbourne.
The feud erupted over the construction of a concrete wall between the two properties, with the couple claiming part of it encroached on their land.
According to reports, tensions boiled over on 28 December 2022, when Steendyk used a chainsaw to cut through 26 metres of the dividing fence.
Chainsaw clash sparks court drama between neighbours. Image source: Warrandyte Police Station
Martinez claimed things had initially been friendly, saying: ‘Everything started out friendly enough and I even went over and brought her a bottle of wine to welcome her to the neighbourhood.’
‘But all hell broke loose as soon as they found out we were going to start constructing a concrete wall along the property line.’
Steendyk later alleged he was struck in the face and back by Martinez with an agricultural drainage pipe.
‘Without warning I felt a sharp whack to my face, head and back,’ his witness statement read.
‘The force of this whack threw my glasses from my head, and tore skin from the bridge of my nose.’
‘Stunned, I stepped back from the fence and looked up to see Karla Martinez with a long agricultural drainage pipe in her hand standing over where I had just been crouched down and yelling obscenities to me.’
Police from Eltham station arrived on the scene, and Martinez was initially charged with assault.
Dramatic footage captured by body-worn cameras documented the tense aftermath.
However, those charges were dropped by the police prosecutor before the matter reached court.
Martinez admitted the fence veered ‘around 30cm’ onto Warhurst’s property.
She said: ‘Brian grabbed a chainsaw and a grinder and started demolishing the fence because he claimed it was on his property.’
‘She hated it – the wall, design, everything.’
Both households sought legal protection, with Martinez and Steendyk filing interim intervention orders against each other.
Martinez also accused the the media of unfair reporting in an article published on 5 May 2024, which was later removed.
She said she was identified by name while Warhurst and Steendyk were not, with Warhurst only referred to as an unnamed ‘ABC contractor’.
Warhurst denied having any involvement in the publication of the article.
It is understood she and Steendyk have since separated.
Warhurst remains best known for her role as a host on the ABC’s long-running music quiz show Spicks and Specks.
ABC has been contacted for comment.
Disputes over property lines can quickly turn emotional—especially when communication breaks down between neighbours.
If you thought a fence was bad, another story shows just how high the stakes can get when a backyard upgrade sparks legal trouble.
Here’s what happened when a swimming pool project turned into a $137K courtroom drama.
Read more: 'You can't get through to them': Neighbours' swimming pool feud cost one pensioner $137K
When neighbourly tensions turn violent, how far is too far in defending what you believe is yours?
