Axed Seven presenter Ryan Phelan has pleaded not guilty to a domestic violence charge.
As reported on B&T last Tuesday, the 45-year-old former anchor of Seven’s The Daily Edition handed himself into police following the alleged incident that occurred in his home in Sydney’s north.
Yesterday, Phelan appeared in front of Manly Local Court and entered a plea of not-guilty.
Phelan, who is on conditional police bail, did not comment to waiting media outside the court.
His lawyer, Claudette Chua, said: “The allegation against our client is emphatically denied, Mr Phelan has been cooperating with police.
“He respects and understand the police and the courts have an obligation to make any allegation of domestic violence very seriously.
“False allegations of domestic violence are extremely serious; they result in the totally unacceptable victimisation of the accused person and they also are unhelpful for women everywhere,” Chua said.
According to reports, Phelan is alleged to have assaulted his girlfriend, the ballerina Chelsea Franklin, on the Saturday evening of June 20th with Phelan voluntarily presenting himself to Manly Police station two days later. He was then charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm as well as common assault.
The alleged assault followed Seven’s axing of Phelan’s The Daily Edition due to budget cuts. However, Phelan was immediately terminated by Seven bosses on news of the police charge.
Both Phelan and Franklin are now living seperately and Franklin has told media that it was an isolated incident.
“I’m gutted, I’m devastated, I’m shattered. I’ve lost my lover, I’ve lost my boyfriend – I love him,” Franklin told the Daily Mail.
“Obviously with what’s going on with him being made redundant … I think it just took its toll.
“It was just a horrible mistake, really; we’ve had a wonderful two-and-a-half years together. Nothing like that has ever happened before,” Franklin said.
