Explosive twist as domestic violence charges against boxer Harry Garside are dropped after his ex accused him of assaulting her and court heard of a video that showed her as the attacker
- Garside’s case was in court on Wednesday
- Boxer was arrested in dramatic scenes at the airport
- Accused of assaulting his ex, Ashley Ruscoe
Charges accusing Olympic boxer Harry Garside of attacking his ex-girlfriend have been dropped after a court was told video footage showed her as the alleged attacker.
The 25-year-old was arrested at Sydney airport in early May on his way home from South Africa after filming I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
NSW Police arrested the boxer, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, on his way to baggage claim and charged him with a domestic violence charge of common assault against his former partner Ashley Ruscoe.
Ms Ruscoe had accused him of assaulting her between 4pm and 7pm on March 1 in Bellevue Hill, Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Mr Garside faced Sydney Downing Center Local Court on Wednesday alongside top libel barrister Sue Chrysanthou and barrister Rebekah Giles.
The medal-winning boxer has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Ash Ruscoe (pictured together at a reception last December)
Garside (pictured outside court) dated Ruscoe for over 18 months
He sat in the front row of the public gallery next to his lawyers while his case was discussed.
In an earlier mention in court, Ms Chrysanthou told the court that she had made “substantial representations” to police regarding additional material that police did not have access to.
“In particular a video of the incident in question which we believe shows the complainant as the attacker,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“Other material where she threatened to go to the police to file false complaints.”
However, on Wednesday police sensationally dropped all charges against Mr Garside in court.
“There shouldn’t have been any charges in this case, but my client is happy with the speed at which my friend moved,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
Ruscoe had alleged that Garside attacked her on March 1 in the exclusive suburb of Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east.
Mr Garside has revealed he is no longer in a relationship with Ms Ruscoe, who appeared as a contestant on The Amazing Race in 2019, during her stint on I’m a Celebrity.
He dated the boxing and martial arts instructor for more than 18 months, often caught on camera by paparazzi.
But in chatting with other camp mates, Mr Garside said he plans to stay single for a while.
Ms Ruscoe is nine years older than Mr Garside, with the couple attending the GQ Awards together in November.
The 33-year-old began dating the Olympic boxer following her split from boyfriend and bandmate on The Amazing Race, Sidney Pierucci in 2019.
The boxer had taken a photo of himself and his father before their flight from South Africa and uploaded it to Instagram.
“I had to upgrade my best friend to do business with me. His first time as a corporate pilot,’ he wrote on the post.
The couple had been abroad for several weeks while Mr Garside filmed for the Channel 10 reality show which was won by netballer Liz Ellis.
Mr Garside won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in men’s lightweight boxing and has won seven Australian National Boxing Championships.
