Wealthy Perth property investor Warren Anderson told police his wife tripped on a mat and he did not assault her, a Perth court heard yesterday.
Anderson, formerly of Perth but now living in Sydney, appeared in the Fremantle Magistrates Court charged with two counts of assaulting Cheryl Anderson in June last year.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Earlier in the trial, Cheryl Anderson told the court that she went “flying across the room” during the assault.
She claimed the argument broke out when Warren Anderson accused her of stealing a computer containing information about the collapsed fuel additive company Firepower, in which he was an investor.
But Perth policeman Sergeant Glenn Allen told the court that when he attended the Anderson’s home on the day of the assault, Warren Anderson told him he had been trying to escort Mrs Anderson out of the house when she tripped on a mat.
Perth police have also been forced to answer questions from Warren Anderson’s lawyer, Laurie Levy SC, about what he calls “unusual treatment” given to Cheryl Anderson.
She has been driven to court in a police car, escorted through the media pack by police officers and given a private room to use outside of the courtroom.
Allen said he had used similar arrangements for witnesses in the past to make them more comfortable.
The court has also heard that the Anderson’s are involved in a Family Court dispute. Levy told the court Cheryl Anderson’s claim is worth $100 million.
The trial has been adjourned until April.
James was the editor and publisher of SmartCompany and LeadingCompany for five years. He is now the Australian Financial Review‘s companies & markets editor, and a former BRW editor.
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