A senior swimming pool industry executive has failed in an attempt to suppress case material after being charged with allegedly assaulting a former partner.
Chris Papageorgiou, a father of two who has been dubbed the “godfather of the swimming pool industry”, appeared at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Thursday facing two assault charges.
The Daily Mail understands Papageorgiou’s lawyer applied for a suppression order that would have prevented the media from publishing material connected with the case. The application was refused after the court found it had no basis.
Reporters received an email alert about the application from the court on Wednesday afternoon. However, when the matter came before the court the next day, it was dismissed swiftly.
During the hearing, the reporter also noted that anyone seeking a suppression order in a Victorian court must generally provide three days’ notice. The requirement supports open justice by giving journalists time to respond and oppose an application.
Separately, Papageorgiou is understood to have been stood down as chief executive of the pool robotics company over matters unrelated to the alleged assaults.
Details of the alleged incidents were not discussed in court because Thursday’s hearing centred on the suppression application. The Mail has spoken to the complainant, who said the former couple first met as teenagers and dated for two years during their final years of high school before going their separate ways.
“He was my first love – my first everything,” said the former partner, whom the Daily Mail has chosen not to name.
Chris Papageorgiou, described as the “godfather of the swimming pool industry”, appeared at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court on Thursday facing two assault charges
The father of two has been charged with allegedly assaulting his former partner
Papageorgiou, left, reluctantly posed with a friend outside the court
The pair reconnected in 2020 after Papageorgiou’s divorce when they unexpectedly met at a Melbourne cafe.
Their chance encounter later grew into a serious relationship.
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Papageorgiou’s legal troubles extend across two states. He is also accused of assaulting the woman while they were staying at Q Station, the former North Head Quarantine Station near Manly in Sydney, in November last year.
Q Station is a heritage-listed retreat set on the cliffs of North Head and surrounded by Sydney Harbour National Park.
Papageorgiou is due to appear in person at Manly court next week in relation to one assault charge.
The relationship is believed to have ended in March this year outside Papageorgiou’s home in Bentleigh East, in Melbourne’s south-east.
He was subsequently charged with unlawful assault. The alleged incident in Bentleigh East is connected to the charges before Moorabbin Court.
Papageorgiou was co-chief executive of Maytronics Australia, a major manufacturer of robotic swimming pool cleaners and vacuum systems operating across Australia.
Papageorgiou’s legal matters span two states, with prosecutors also alleging he assaulted the woman during their stay at Q Station near Manly, Sydney, in November last year
Papageorgiou was co-CEO of Maytronics Australia, a major manufacturer of robotic swimming pool cleaners and vacuum systems with operations across Australia, but has been stood down
An alleged assault occurred during a weekend getaway to Sydney in November last year at Q Station in Manly
However, it’s understood that he has been stood down by Maytronics pending an investigation into ‘allegations that have not yet been particularised’.
The woman further alleges that in April he attended Mykonos Restaurant in Oakleigh in an attempt to locate her.
‘In April he turned up to Mykonos Restaurant in Oakleigh to find me. I asked him to leave, which he initially did; however, he returned approximately one minute later,’ she said.
Papageorgiou, who did not respond to our request for comment, will face court at a later date.