- Simon Burgess has pleaded guilty to domestic violence
- The former rower won two Olympic silver medals
- Incident related to an assault on December 2 of last year
A three-time Olympic rower has pleaded guilty to violence against a woman.
Simon Burgess, 56, had previously indicated he would fight the charge relating to an incident in Franklin, Tasmania, on December 2 last year.
But on Thursday in Hobart Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault, along with three counts of breaching a family violence order and one count of damaging property.
This means that the matter will now move directly to the facts and sentencing phase.
Court documents claim Burgess, who won silver in Sydney and Athens, slapped the woman “numerous times” on the head and punched a hole in her bedroom plaster wall.
The breaches of the family violence order, which is a type of restraining order, occurred through that common assault when he failed to comply with the condition of not threatening, abusing or attacking the woman in question directly or indirectly.
Simon Burgess (left) pleaded guilty to common assault on a woman.
Burgess is a two-time Olympic silver medalist but pleaded guilty after an incident last year.
He breached another condition which stated that he would not enter the property where she lived, and a third clause which stated that he would not damage the property.
Police prosecutor Andrew Tye said the victim may wish to give an impact statement at the next court date on August 13.
Burgess is one of Tasmania’s most successful rowers and was named Tasmanian Institute of Sports Athlete of the Year on three occasions: in 1997, 1999 and 2000.