Our client is 50 year old man who now resides in Sydney.
He arrived recently from Singapore with his wife on a sponsored visa.
He was charged with four counts of Common Assault (domestic violence related) under section 61 of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), after an altercation with his wife.
The prosecution argued its case was strong due to a range of alleged admissions sent by our client to his wife, allegedly apologising for striking her on each occasion and offering to make amends.
The prosecution also relied upon medical evidence corroborating the wife’s claims, comprising consistent contemporaneous notes by doctors.
Our client was concerned that a conviction would result in the cancellation of his visa, meaning he would have to return to Singapore.
He pleaded not guilty and the matter was listed for a defended hearing.
In the lead-up to the hearing, our defence team gathered evidence to suggest that the prosecution case did not reflect the factual circumstances – namely, that their client had engaged in violence against our client and had manufactured parts of her evidence for her own purposes. The marriage had deteriorated and the complainant simply did not want her husband in Sydney.
After lengthy, painstaking negotiations, the prosecution agreed to withdraw all of the charges against our client, and he is free to remain in Sydney.