The former partner of Australian boxer Harry Garside has been hit with two new charges, accused of intentionally distributing intimate images of her ex-boyfriend without consent.
Ashley Alsione Ruscoe was arrested in July and charged with two domestic violence-related offences; common assault and stalk or intimidate with intent to cause fear or physical harm.
The 35-year-old pleaded not guilty to the charges when she fronted Sydney‘s Downing Centre Local Court with high-profile lawyer Bryan Wrench.
NSW Police said Ms Ruscoe was arrested at a Bellevue Hill home following an investigation into allegations of a domestic violence incident believed to have occurred at the property on March 1.
Since her previous court appearance the boxing coach, who has spent time in Bali in the weeks since, has been charged with two new offences.
Ruscoe (pictured outside court last month) has been charged with intentionally distributing intimate images of her ex-boyfriend without consent
Garside (pictured outside court) was accused of assault over the same incident Ruscoe is now facing charges over. The boxer’s charges were dropped earlier this year
Ms Ruscoe is now facing two new charges of intentionally distributing intimate images without consent, domestic-violence related, that were laid on August 23.
It is not known when the images were distributed, but it has been confirmed that they contain images of Mr Garside and he has given consent via his legal team to identify him as the alleged victim.
The 35-year-old’s matter is due back in court on Wednesday.
At Ms Ruscoe’s previous court appearance, Mr Wrench confirmed the allegations against his client related to the same March 1 incident in which Mr Garside was accused of assault earlier this year before the charge against him was dropped.
‘We are concerned about the motivation of Mr Garside,’ Mr Wrench told the court in July.
‘Mr Garside made a statement only after he discovered other people were coming forward. This is about allowing police to do a full and thorough investigation.’
In court, Mr Wrench claimed Mr Garside admitted to ‘spitting’ on Ms Ruscoe and raised concerns about an interview Mr Garside did on the Sunrise TV program relating to alleged video evidence.
Garside and Ruscoe (pictured together at an Australian Olympics function) first became an item in 2019 before splitting up 18 months later
‘We’ve received the so-called videos that clear his name – they do not clear his name,’ Mr Wrench told the court.
He added before being cut off: ‘He’s then on Sunrise saying he gave his phone over …’
Mr Garside previously told Sunrise host David Koch that he had given his phone to police.
On multiple occasions, Mr Wrench clashed loudly with magistrate Jennifer Atkinson.
Ms Atkinson told Mr Wrench that the courtroom was ‘not the forum’ to negotiate with police about the issues raised.
‘We don’t do it with anyone else, I’m not going to let you here. I’m stopping you,’ the magistrate said.
‘You have an undertaking from police, and if there is a difficulty down the track, we will deal with that.’
Mr Wrench told the court that he was ‘surprised’ Ms Ruscoe had been charged and would be applying to find out why.
Before being shut down by Ms Atkins, he said he would call multiple witnesses during the hearing.
Ruscoe is due back in court on Wednesday after the new charges were laid against her on August 23
‘That includes tendency witnesses to show Mr Garside has a history of domestic violence,’ Mr Wrench said.
Ms Ruscoe, a fitness influencer and self-described wellness coach, was granted conditional bail.
The charges come just months after Mr Garside’s charge was sensationally dropped after his defence team told the same Sydney court that a video previously not seen by police showed Ms Ruscoe as the alleged aggressor.
The Olympic medallist was arrested after returning from Johannesburg on May 2 after a stint on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! following allegations by Ms Ruscoe that he assaulted her.
Mr Garside was accused of assaulting Ms Ruscoe at a property in Bellevue Hill home between 4pm and 7pm on March 1 and categorically denied the allegations throughout the court battle before the charge was dropped.
His barrister told the court that ‘there shouldn’t have been any charges in this case’.
Mr Garside later told Koch that the allegations were his ‘boy-to-man’ moment.
He and Ms Ruscoe first began dating in 2019 but separated 18 months later.