The ex-girlfriend of Olympic boxer Harry Garside is fighting domestic violence charges that could land her in jail, but appears to not have a care in the world.
Ash Ruscoe was excused from attending Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday as she sunbathed on the island of Mykonos, 15,000 kilometres away in Greece.
At the same time, Garside, 27, was in Paris, where she will try to improve on the Olympic bronze medal she won three years ago in Tokyo and return home with gold.
Ruscoe, a boxing trainer and wellness guru, was arrested in July last year and charged with assaulting Garside, a month after he was acquitted of assaulting her.
The 35-year-old pleaded not guilty to common assault, harassment or intimidation and two counts of distributing intimate images of Garside (one of him wearing a purple wig) without her consent.
Two days ago, Ruscoe posted photos of herself on Instagram enjoying a summer holiday up north, sporting a tiny blue bikini with the caption “Having it rough.”
A video showing the blue waters of the Aegean Sea was accompanied by the caption: “I imagine this is what the sky looks like.”
Another, showing a chef preparing a crustacean dish, read: “Get a man who treats you with such care.”
Ash Ruscoe, the ex-girlfriend of Olympic boxer Harry Garside, is fighting domestic violence charges that could see her jailed, but she appears to not have a care in the world. When her court case was mentioned on Wednesday, she was sunbathing in Greece (above)
Boxing trainer and wellness guru Ruscoe was arrested in July last year and charged with assaulting Garside, a month after he was acquitted of assaulting her. The former couple are pictured
And in a series of posts on Thursday, she showed her followers images of herself lounging on the deck of a boat in the idyllic location, as well as enjoying a fine dinner by the beach.
Garside was arrested after landing 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 on the day he left Australia in March to express fears for his safety.
Garside vehemently denied any wrongdoing and both the common assault charge and the application for a learned violence order were withdrawn.
A month later, Ruscoe was charged with assaulting, 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 for which Garside was charged and acquitted.
The case against Ruscoe has been moving through the courts in the months since then, while she remains free on bail pending a hearing.
Two days ago, Ruscoe posted photos of herself on Instagram enjoying a summer holiday up north, sporting a tiny blue bikini with the caption ‘Having the worst time’.
Ruscoe was excused from attending Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday because she was enjoying a holiday on the island of Mykonos, 15,000 kilometres away in Greece (above)
When the matter went to court last August, Ruscoe’s prominent lawyer, Bryan Wrench, addressed the allegations about the intimate images.
Mr Wrench said his client had displayed in her living room a photograph of Garside posing in a purple wig he had given her.
The photograph had been seen by so many visitors to Ruscoe’s home that it could not be considered an intimate image and witnesses would attest to that, Wrench said.
At a separate 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 in Mykonos, Garside, 27, was in Paris, where she will try to improve on the Olympic bronze medal she won three years ago in Tokyo with gold.
The case against Ruscoe is due to be heard 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 carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, distribution of intimate images without consent three years and harassment/intimidation five years.
Garside, who is now single, recently spoke out about a sex ban he imposed 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 that he was making the personal sacrifice to stay in top mental and physical shape.
“The first few weeks were quite challenging,” he said.
‘I think we’re already in the fourth or fifth week. It’s been a while so I’m over it now, you’re so exhausted from training that you don’t think about it too much.
“But I’m sure there will be some fun after the Olympics.”