A real estate agent accused of attacking two women in Sydney’s inner west allegedly took four viagra tablets, strangled one of the women and forced her to kiss him before he “king hit” her four times in the head, a court has heard.
Karl Howard, 44, the principal of Ray White in Balmain, was arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wounding with intent to murder and trespassing after he allegedly attacked the women at Annandale in the early hours of February 8.
Karl Howard has been charged with attempted murder.
Police allege Mr Howard punched a 27-year-old woman to the head, before a 29-year-old woman attempted to intervene and was hit with a weapon believed to be a samurai sword. Emergency services were called to Ferris Street in Annandale at about 5am and the women were taken to hospital.
Mr Howard’s case was briefly mentioned at Newtown Local Court on Wednesday, where he did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
Prosecutor Alexandra Tomasetti applied to have a suppression order placed on the names of the women.
She said it would cause the women undue reputational damage and distress if their names were published, and could make them unlikely to offer ongoing assistance to police. The women could also be vilified on social media, she said.
Anthony Sissian, a lawyer for one of the women, told the court on Wednesday afternoon that the name of his client and the other woman should remain suppressed because they have experienced “extreme trauma”.
Mr Sissian said the police facts allege Mr Howard subjected one of the women to a non-consensual “forced kiss” while she was being strangled, before he “king hit” her in the head four times. Mr Sissian said it is alleged in the police facts that Mr Howard had taken four viagra pills beforehand.
“The only reason a person would take four viagra pills before strangling and forcing his tongue down someone’s throat is he must have had a sexual intent,” Mr Sissian said.
“By chance, the victim escaped, but I hate to think what would have happened if he didn’t slip over.”
Mr Sissian said revealing the names of the women outside court is not necessary and “would expose the complainants to further significant undue distress, in addition to the extreme physical and psychological trauma they have already experienced”.
“To do so would be cruel, inhumane and unnecessary,” Mr Sissian said.
Magistrate Glenn Bartley made an interim suppression order on the names of the women. He will make a decision on the final suppression of their names on Friday.
Speaking outside court earlier on Wednesday, Mr Howard’s lawyer John Sutton said his client is currently in hospital “in a bad way” and has said “very little”.
“He’s got various physical injuries of his own, he’s undergone surgery, and we’re just awaiting outcomes to understand what the doctors say he can and can’t do,” Mr Sutton said.
He said the relationship between Mr Howard and the two women he allegedly attacked is not clear to him.
“He’s in hospital, I’d seen him not long after surgery, he’d been under anaesthetic, and clearly that wasn’t the time to start asking detailed questions,” Mr Sutton said.
Asked if the real estate agent was worried about potentially losing his job, Mr Sutton said, “I think he’s worried about a lot more than just [that].”
“It’s a very unfortunate circumstance,” Mr Sutton said.
In a statement, Ray White Balmain said Mr Howard has been stood down from his role pending the resolution of the charges.
Sources in the real estate industry described Mr Howard’s alleged actions as out of character for the professional selling agent they have long known.
Mr Howard will return to court in April.
Georgina Mitchell is a court reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2021-02-10 07:05:00Z
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