Reality TV star turned fitness influencer Sam Wood will be kept in prison as he fights an allegation he strangled his wife on their Noosa holiday.
The former face of The Bachelor’s third season appeared before a South-East Queensland magistrate on Thursday after several nights in custody following his weekend arrest on the Sunshine Coast.
Wood allegedly grabbed his wife by the throat with one hand and threw her against a wall and held her throat tightly and restricted her breathing while she was on the ground.
The Melbourne-based fitness influencer, who courts more than 250,000 followers on Instagram, wore a green watchhouse-issue jumper and clasped his hands together in his lap when he appeared via video link.
The court was told his stepdaughter Eve Markoski-Wood, 21, called police on Saturday night reporting he had harmed her mother, fellow Bachelor star Snezana Wood, at a unit on Noosa’s Hastings Street tourist precinct.
In mounting her opposition to bail, police prosecutor Jeanette Grigoris submitted photos of injuries Ms Wood allegedly sustained.
The alleged victim had given strong evidence of claims she was choked to “cessation of breath”, before her head was banged on the floor, Sgt Grigoris said.
“She thought she was going to die … she is in fear of retribution,” she said.
Snezana Wood had allegedly been seriously assaulted by her husband three or four years ago in Victoria but he was not charged, the court heard.
“She refers to that matter as being similar in nature and involved choking and trying to strangle her,” Sgt Grigoris said.
Wood, 46, posed a risk of not attending court if released, she submitted.
“He has no connections to Queensland,” Sgt Grigoris said.
“He does have the resources to essentially flee the jurisdiction.”
Scroll down to SUBSCRIBE for our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily.
Prosecutors would rely on a video-recorded statement by Ms Wood, who supported the charges, but had yet to secure a statement from Ms Markoski-Wood, 21, the court was told.
Wood’s bail application was in a show-cause position and he needed to prove his ongoing custody was not justified.
His father Andrew flew into Maroochydore from Tasmania for the hearing and sat next to his son’s barrister David Cole in the front row.
Wood, charged with the domestic violence offence of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting, had no criminal record and his version of events indicated he might be entitled to a self-defence argument, his solicitor said.
“There were hostilities,” Mathew Cuskelly told the court.
“The complainant has moved towards him and continued to yell at him.
“He pushed her away. There is denial of any strangulation.”
Mr Cuskelly said the attending paramedic’s statement about minimal injuries seemed unusual, given the nature of and gravity of the alleged assault.
Police had not submitted medical evidence and a paramedic’s report about the alleged neck injuries, the court heard.
“Why not?” Mr Cuskelly said.
Wood had received a diagnosis of severe depression and anxiety resulting from personal and professional hardships and was hiding that from his family, Mr Cuskelly said.
After an hour of submissions and a 30-minute adjournment, Acting Magistrate Janelle Boegheim handed down her bail decision late on Thursday.
“I’m not satisfied the applicant has shown cause,” she said.
She described the prosecution case as relatively strong, saying consideration for bail could be revisited if the case strength changes.
A Wood family statement addressing the charges was shared on Instagram with his 253,000 followers and his wife Snezana’s 330,000 followers.
“We are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities,” the statement read.
Wood earned a national profile as a star of The Bachelor’s third season in 2015, launching a successful home fitness business 28 By Sam Wood.
He reportedly sold it in 2022 for more than $70 million but remained the face of the online platform.
The wellness businesses behind the platform cut ties with him on Tuesday, a day after placing him on indefinite leave.
Wood was remanded in custody for the next mention of his case on November 23.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14
