Reality television star Nathan Gallagher was convicted in his absence and a Sydney judge issued an arrest warrant after he allegedly fled Australia. The Below Deck Mediterranean star faces domestic violence charges, including intentionally choking his former partner during an incident in December.
The Courtroom Absence and Conviction in Sydney
The legal proceedings took a sharp turn when the 28-year-old reality personality failed to appear at Burwood Local Court. Prosecutors informed the bench that they suspected the defendant had left the country, prompting a request for the matter to proceed without him. Local Court Judge Janine Lacy reviewed immigration records confirming he was currently overseas and proceeded to convict him on all counts. A statement from NSW Police released on Wednesday said, Nathan Gallagher, aged 28, is wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant.
The statement added, Nathan is described as being of Caucasian appearance with a fair complexion, about 165cm tall, with a medium build.
The charges stem from an incident on the evening of Boxing Day at an apartment in Melrose Park. Police arrested the TV star and took him to Gladesville Police Station after responding to reports of an alleged assault. He spent a night in police cells before appearing in Parramatta Local Court on December 27, where he was granted conditional bail. He appeared in court again in January, and his matter was set to appear before Burwood Local Court on Tuesday. However, he did not show, and he was convicted of all charges by Judge Janine Lacy, according to court documents seen by nine.com.au. The prosecutor, Sergeant Aruzza, told the court, ‘We believe the defendant is offshore at this time.’
Details of the Alleged Assault and Police Documents
Court documents and police fact sheets released by the court on Tuesday detail a violent altercation following an evening where Gallagher and his partner had drunk a bottle of wine before arguing on Boxing Day evening. According to the police fact sheet, he followed her into the bedroom and became violent. A masthead has chosen not to identify the woman, though other reports state the victim was a co-star and former girlfriend with whom he shares a child, named as Gael Cameron.
During the argument, he used one hand to cover mouth and nose of victim. The victim tried to pull away but accused persisted and continued to cover her mouth, causing the victim to be unable to breathe at certain points,
the document reads. The accused continued to restrict the victim’s breathing by holding both hands over the victim’s mouth, and the victim has begun screaming, and the victim believes that the accused did not want her to be heard by neighbours.
New South Wales Police told PEOPLE in a statement that the 27-year-old had been charged with ‘assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentionally chok[ing a] person without consent, and common assault’. The memorandum also confirmed that the unnamed victim did not suffer any serious injuries as a result of the incident. The star pleaded not guilty to all three charges and was granted conditional bail. A court case corresponding with the timeline of the alleged attack named Gallagher as the subject of an Apprehended Violence Application filed on behalf of his co-star, Gael Cameron, with whom he shares a child. Ms Cameron arrived at Burwood Local Court, in the city’s inner west, to give evidence in a hearing. But when Gallagher was called and failed to appear, prosecutors told Judge Lacy they could not proceed. Ms Cameron declined to comment about the case when approached outside the courthouse. The court heard that Gallagher was no longer represented by the lawyers he had been engaging until a few weeks ago.
Background of the Relationship and Public Statements
Gael Cameron and Nathan Gallagher were in a relationship after meeting on Below Deck Mediterranean and had a child together. Sharing a statement with Rolling Stone after his arrest hit headlines last month, Gallagher confirmed that he and Cameron had ended their relationship, claiming he doesn’t ‘believe the public has heard the full story surrounding what happened’.
What has been publicly reported, however, represents only one side of what was an extremely complicated situation,
he continued, insisting he has ‘contemporaneous video footage’ for the night of his arrest, ‘as well as messages and other records’.
Active Warrants Across Multiple Jurisdictions
Gallagher is also wanted in his native Ireland after allegedly pulling the same vanishing act just a few years ago, a court has heard. The Irish reality TV contestant, who was granted bail after spending a night in police cells after Christmas last year, does not have conditions that require him to report to police, nor was he required to have surrendered his passport, despite his career in international yachting. The 27-year-old is now facing arrest warrants in two countries.
