Sydney man woke in horror as partner allegedly tried to kill him
A Sydney man has given new details of how he was allegedly beaten by his partner with a hot saucepan and scolded with boiling water in a plush French chateau.
Callum Forbes, 36, suffered second-degree burns to his face, torso, neck and upper arms, as well as a burst eardrum and facial injuries when David Cao allegedly attacked him on July 28.
Callum Forbes was allegedly beaten with a saucepan and scalded with boiling water at a ritzy French chateau. The Daily Telegraph
Forbes told The Sydney Morning Herald on Friday it was not the first time Cao allegedly became violent to him during their European holiday.
Two days before, Cao, a 37-year-old banker, is accused of stealing Forbes’ passport and left him bruised while the couple visited the Spanish city of Barcelona.
Following the incident, Forbes, who runs an online telehealth business, was determined to end their three-and-a-half-year relationship.
He says Cao attempted to change his mind as the couple travelled to the Château de Perreux boutique hotel in the Loire Valley.
Forbes says the last memory before the alleged attack was taking a sleeping pill in his bedroom and falling asleep about 10.30pm.
David Cao is accused by French authorities of attacking Callum Forbes. LinkedIn
Moments later he woke in fright as Cao allegedly began a frenzied assault.
“I immediately ran to the door to try and get out, [but] he’d locked the door and taken the key out,” Forbes said.
“I was trying to open the door so much that the door handle broke off. He’d followed me down a corridor, and then continued hitting me and hitting me with his saucepan.
“He was saying, ‘You don’t love me, right?’ I honestly thought I was going to die.”
Forbes says he survived by locking himself inside the bathroom. He only left when a housekeeper knocked on the door.
Callum Forbes was allegedly attacked by his partner in a French hotel room. Supplied
Cao allegedly left the hotel in a rental car after the incident and travelled to Rouen before taking a train to Paris and then Lille in northern France.
Police arrested him at Lille train station on July 30, almost 500 kilometres from the hotel and close to the Belgian border.
Cao was charged with Forbes’ attempted murder and remains in a French prison while he awaits trial.
Forbes underwent three weeks’ treatment at a French hospital before he returned to Sydney with his mother.
His skin has improved markedly since the alleged attack. Doctors have advised him to avoid direct sunlight for the next 18 months and moisturise daily.
Forbes says his recovery was aided by messages of support from family and friends.
“For me in hospital, when I just had Mum there [supporting me]. That meant the world to me.”
Forbes earlier spoke with the The Daily Telegraph and supplied the masthead with a photo of his injuries.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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