Olympic boxer Harry Garside's ex-girlfriend has been accused of sharing an intimate photo of him posing in a purple wig.
Ashley Alsione Ruscoe was represented by her solicitor Bryan Wrench at Sydney Downing Center Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after she was accused of four counts of domestic violence.
The 35-year-old was arrested at her Bellevue Hill home in July and accused of assaulting and intimidating her former partner.
A month later, the boxing trainer and wellness guru was charged with two new offenses, namely deliberately distributing intimate images of Mr Garside without his consent.
The boxer, through his legal team, gave permission to be identified as the alleged victim.
Ms Ruscoe is accused of sending messages containing the intimate photos on the afternoon of March 27 and the evening of June 1.
However, her lawyer railed against the classification of the picture as intimate.
He claimed Mr Garside gave Ms Ruscoe a photograph of himself wearing a colorful wig that was on display in her living room.
“He basically gave my client a photo of himself posing in a purple wig,” said Mr. Wrench.
“It's definitely not an intimate picture.”
The court was told that the photo was used as a bookend in the living room and displayed there “prominently”.
He said witnesses would be called to confirm the nature and depiction of the image in question.
On Wednesday, Ms Ruscoe formally pleaded not guilty to the two counts of disseminating an intimate image without consent.
She previously pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and harassment or intimidation of her former partner.
Mr Wrench requested an adjournment so he could receive “exculpatory” information from his client's phone, which is being seized by police.
He noted that no data from Mr Garside's phone had been made available to him either, although the boxer had given assurances that the material would be made available to the defence.
A police officer estimated it would be more than two months before police received detailed reports of the data contained on both devices.
The police prosecutor noted that some of the materials might need to be redacted.
Ms Ruscoe's case has been adjourned until November 8 to allow for the service and assessment of all evidence.
The court was told that an interim order arresting violence would remain in effect until the next court hearing.
Despite the ongoing court case, Mr Wrench claimed the boxer previously “turned up unannounced at (Ms Ruscoe's) place of work”.
He also contradicted an interview with the sportsman, published in The Australian earlier this week, in which he discussed allegations of domestic violence.
“It is totally and grossly inappropriate,” Mr Wrench said emphatically.
Mr Garside was initially charged over an alleged incident of domestic violence at the couple's Bellevue Hill home on March 1.
He was arrested at the airport on May 2nd, right after returning from filming I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in South Africa.
The Olympic boxer has steadfastly maintained his innocence and the charges against him were dropped by the police.
His legal team told a Sydney court that video, previously unseen by police, showed Ms Ruscoe to be the alleged attacker.
Weeks later, the martial arts instructor was arrested and charged with the alleged altercation.
Mr Wrench previously told a Sydney court he was “surprised” that his client had been charged in the alleged incident.
He said he was “concerned” about Mr Garside's “motivation” in making the allegations against his ex-girlfriend.
The attorney said in court he would rely on testimony from witnesses, which would reveal the boxer had “a history of domestic violence.”
Mr Garside and Ms Ruscoe were together for 18 months before splitting earlier this year.
The pair have often been photographed together by the paparazzi and have made several high-profile appearances, including at the GQ Awards last November.
