Troubled media mogul Antony Catalano is set to flee Melbourne's winter for Byron Bay and see his four children again after a court relaxed his bail conditions, but only if he remains sober.
On Tuesday, Catalano, 59, co-owner and former chairman of Australian Community Media, again avoided appearing in person and dodged photographers as he faced charges of assault, false imprisonment, and making threats to kill. Instead, he streamed into Melbourne Magistrates' Court from home, avoiding the media pack waiting for him at court and outside his lawyer's office.
The journalist-turned-executive is accused of assaulting his wife, Stefanie, who also tuned into the court hearing by videolink to watch the proceedings unfold. Catalano is accused of a drug-induced assault on March 13 at their St Kilda penthouse, where he allegedly held a clothes iron to her head and dragged her by her hair. He has since been in rehab to address his dependencies.
Lawyer Tony Hargreaves persuaded the court to relax Catalano's bail and allow him to contact his family. Magistrate Stephen Lee warned: 'There's two very different scenarios - if you're unaffected by drugs and alcohol, you can contact them, go near them, and go to the Byron Bay address. But conversely, if you're affected by drugs or alcohol, all bets are off and you can't do it.'
The order was extended until July 1 when Catalano is due back in court. No further indication about how Catalano intends to deal with the matter was provided to the court.
During a previous hearing last month, Hargreaves told the magistrate his client was not in court as expected because he was stressed about facing the waiting media pack. 'I'm not sure, your honour probably didn't see the throng downstairs with media, but it's submitted that it's potentially detrimental to his mental health,' Hargreaves said. 'He's quite anxious about the whole thing, to force him to proceed downstairs through the media.'
Hargreaves told the court his client had already addressed the media following his first court appearance in March. 'He immediately acknowledged his remorse and sorrow for what had taken place and publicly acknowledged that he had substance abuse - pharmaceutical and other substances - and mental health issues,' he said. The court heard Catalano had been admitted to a rehabilitation hospital for 28 days and successfully completed the program.
Hargreaves also raised concerns about the media taking his client's photograph outside the rehab facility. 'The matter has received intense media attention, including photographs being taken of him in rehabilitation,' he said.
Following his initial arrest, Senior Constable Kiran Paramaguru told the court Catalano began yelling at Stefanie in relation to a welfare check requested by other family members days prior. 'The victim was already in bed when the accused approached her in a severely drug-affected state and began ranting and shouting at the victim about matters that don't pertain to her,' the officer said. 'The accused then demanded the victim's phone and escalated this unprovoked attack on the victim by physically grabbing her. The accused has then proceeded to drag the victim by her hair and ankles through various rooms and hallways within the large apartment complex that they reside in.'
Catalano allegedly dragged his wife to a laundry area, grabbed a clothes iron, and held it towards her head. Police said Ms Catalano had been screaming for help and managed to briefly escape the apartment but was allegedly dragged back inside by her hair as she waited for the elevator. 'The accused then threatened the victim, stating: "If you scream one more time, I'll stab you to death",' Sen Const Paramaguru said.
Sen Const Paramaguru said Ms Catalano grabbed at her husband's underwear during the incident 'with the intent of leaving behind signs of a struggle, which would indicate some sort of evidence for police to investigate'. It is understood CCTV from cameras inside the apartment, a foyer area, and a corridor captured much of the alleged incident. The footage allegedly captured Ms Catalano 'pleading for her life' while being attacked. '[He] can then be seen reaching across the victim, who's now on the floor, and grab an iron and swing it at her with quite considerable force,' Sen Const Paramaguru said. A 27-second recording from inside a neighbour's apartment captured screaming and Ms Catalano saying 'let me go' multiple times.
The court heard Ms Catalano eventually managed to flee the apartment. Mr Catalano was arrested later that day in his torn underwear 10km away in the suburb of Hampton. The court heard his wife was hospitalised and suffered a fractured tailbone in the incident.
During legal argument, the court was told Ms Catalano had made a police complaint against her husband in 2018 when he allegedly punched and headbutted her. But the case did not proceed due to insufficient evidence.
'I am deeply ashamed and humiliated,' Catalano told the Australian Financial Review in March. 'Those close to me have been urging me to seek professional help for some time and there have been interventions by close family and friends. I regret not heeding their advice and I continued to believe I could hide my mental health issues. I allowed shame and pride to prevent me from confronting these problems and seeking treatment earlier.'
