The ex-girlfriend of Olympic boxer Harry Garside is fighting domestic violence charges which could land her in jail – but she appears not to have a worry in the world.
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Ash Ruscoe was excused from attending Sydney‘s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday as she sunned herself on the island of Mykonos, 15,000km away in Greece.
At the same time, 27-year-old Garside was in Paris where he will attempt to improve on the Olympic bronze medal he won three years ago in Tokyo by coming home with gold.
Ruscoe, a boxing coach and wellness guru, was arrested in July last year and accused of assaulting Garside, a month after he was cleared of assaulting her.
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The 35-year-old has pleaded not guilty to common assault, stalking or intimidating and two counts of distributing intimate images of Garside – one of him in a purple wig – without his consent.
Two days ago, Ruscoe posted pictures of herself on Instagram enjoying a northern summer holiday, wearing a tiny blue bikini with the caption ‘Having the worst time’.
One video panning across the azure waters of the Aegean Sea was accompanied by the description ‘I imagine this is what heaven looks like’.
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Another showing a chef preparing a crustacean dish said ‘Get a man to handle you with this much care’.
Ash Ruscoe, the ex-girlfriend of Olympic boxer Harry Garside, is fighting domestic violence charges which could land her in jail but she appears not to have a worry in the world. When her court case was mentioned on Wednesday she was sunning herself in Greece (above)
Ruscoe, a boxing coach and wellness guru, was arrested in July last year and accused of assaulting Garside, a month after he was cleared of assaulting her. The former couple is pictured
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And in a series of posts on Thursday she showed her followers pictures of her lounging on the deck of a boat at the idyllic location, as well as enjoying some fine beachside dining.
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Garside was arrested after touching down at Sydney Airport in May last year after completing a stint in South Africa for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Ruscoe, who was in a relationship with Garside for about 18 months and moved to Bali last year, had gone to police the day he left Australia in March to express fears for her safety.
Garside vehemently denied any wrongdoing and both a common assault charge and an application for an apprehended violence order were withdrawn.
A month later, Ruscoe was accused of assaulting and stalking or intimidating Garside and a month after that she was charged with distributing intimate images of him.
Garside has given permission to be identified as the subject of the images, through his legal team.
The assault charge against Ruscoe relates to the same alleged altercation on March 1 over which Garside was charged and cleared.
The case against Ruscoe has been working its way through the courts in the months since, as she remains on bail awaiting a hearing.
Two days ago, Ruscoe posted pictures of herself on Instagram enjoying a northern summer holiday, wearing a tiny blue bikini with the caption ‘Having the worst time’
Ruscoe was excused from attending Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday as she enjoyed a holiday on the island of Mykonos, 15,000km away in Greece (above)
When the matter came before court last August, Ruscoe’s high-profile lawyer Bryan Wrench addressed the allegations over the intimate images.
Mr Wrench said his client had displayed a photograph in her living room of Garside posing with a purple wig which had been given to her by him.
The photograph had been seen by so many visitors to Ruscoe’s home it could not be considered an intimate image and witnesses would attest to that, Mr Wrench said.
At another court appearance Mr Wrench told a magistrate he was surprised his client had been charged with assault and concerned about Garside’s ‘motivation’ in going to police.
While Ruscoe was on Mykonos, 27-year-old Garside was in Paris where he will attempt to improve on the Olympic bronze medal he won three years ago in Tokyo with gold
The case against Ruscoe is listed for mention next month ahead of a hearing in September.
More than 10,000 text messages between Ruscoe and Garside are expected to form part of the evidence.
Common assault attracts a maximum penalty of two years in prison, distributing intimate images without consent three years and stalking/intimidation five years.
Garside, who is now single, recently spoke of a sex ban he had imposed on himself as he seeks to win Australia’s first Olympic boxing gold medal.
The lightweight contender told Nova 100’s Jase & Lauren radio show last month he was making the personal sacrifice to stay in top shape mentally and physically.
‘The first couple of weeks were pretty challenging,’ he said.
‘I think it’s like week four or five now. It’s been a while, so I’m sort of through it now, like your sort of so exhausted from training that you don’t really think about it too much.
‘But I’m sure, post-Olympics, there’ll be a bit of fun going on.’
