Arabic version: سام وود يطلب الإفراج بكفالة مع استماع المحكمة إلى ادعاءات

According to The Guardian, former Bachelor star and wellness influencer Sam Wood has made a fresh Queensland supreme court bid for bail while facing domestic violence charges. Wood, 46, from Melbourne, has been held in custody since his arrest at Noosa on 4 October.

Wood was initially denied bail over allegations that he choked and assaulted his wife, Snezana Wood, while the family was holidaying on the Sunshine Coast. He is charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting. His legal team has indicated he will fight the charges.

At an earlier hearing, police prosecutor Jeanette Grigoris said Snezana Wood was supportive of the charges and alleged she had been choked. Grigoris told the court that there had been “a cessation of breath” and referred to a video-recorded statement describing her head being banged on the floor and her difficulty breathing.

On Friday, Wood’s lawyer, Paula Morreau KC, said there was no suggestion that he suffered from addiction, despite crown submissions concerning drug and alcohol use and a “party lifestyle”. Morreau said Wood had faced “significant stressors” and “struggles with anger”, but usually leaves and takes time in such situations. His lawyers proposed that he live in Tasmania with his father, not enter Victoria where Snezana lives, and complete a men’s behavioural change course if released.

Crown prosecutor Jessica Guy said the allegations had “serious features”, including claims that violence continued beyond force applied to the neck and occurred near young children. Morreau said a person close to Wood had offered a “very substantial” surety for his return to Queensland. Wood is being held at Wolston correctional centre near Brisbane, and the bail hearing continues.