An Australian man has been remanded in custody in France on charges of attempted murder after allegedly attacking his male partner.
It’s alleged that the 37-year-old attacked his male partner, also Australian, with a saucepan during a stopover at a luxury château hotel in the Loire Valley.
The alleged assault took place in the early hours of July 29 at the Château de Perreux, a 16-room boutique hotel in Nazelles-Négron, near Tours in France.
The two Australian men, who were in a relationship, were staying the night in one of the property’s troglodyte-style rooms, built into the estate’s rock cellars, while travelling from Sydney to Amsterdam for WorldPride.
Earlier that evening, the pair had been out for dinner before returning to the château for a spa and then bed.
Neighbouring guests reportedly woke to cries for help shortly after midnight.
The victim was found with head injuries and burns and was taken to a specialist burns intensive care unit in Tours.
Investigators said the alleged weapon, a saucepan, broke during the attack.
The suspect fled the scene, driving toward Rouen in Normandy before travelling on to Paris, where he boarded a train bound for Lille, in what was believed to be an attempt to cross into Belgium and on to the Netherlands.
Police intercepted him in Lille roughly 36 hours after the alleged attack, before he could leave French territory.
He has been placed under formal investigation on charges of attempted murder, torture and acts of barbarity, unlawful confinement, and theft, and was ordered into pre-trial detention following a hearing before an investigating magistrate in Tours.
Tours prosecutor Catherine Sorita-Minard confirmed the charges to local French publication La Nouvelle République.
A source close to the investigation told the paper the suspect had admitted to the attack but denied intending to kill his partner.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to Gay Sydney Daily that it is providing consular assistance to the hospitalised Australian, and is separately trying to make contact with the detained man to offer him consular support.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian hospitalised in France,” said a spokesperson.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking to make contact with an Australian detained in France to offer consular assistance.”
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic, family and sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732
or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au for online chat and video call services.
