Former Bachelor star Sam Wood is preparing to make another bail application, this time before Queensland’s highest court.
The 46-year-old fitness influencer will appeal to the Supreme Court after being denied bail on domestic violence allegations on the Sunshine Coast.
Wood is accused of throwing his wife against a wall, choking her and striking her head against the floor at a holiday unit in Noosa, north of Brisbane.
The allegations were outlined during a bail hearing at Maroochydore Magistrates Court, where his application was rejected on Thursday.
Wood’s solicitor, Mathew Cuskelly, confirmed on Friday that his client would seek bail in the Queensland Supreme Court.
“Those are the instructions that I have received,” he told AAP.
Wood, who is based in Melbourne, has spent several nights in custody since his arrest over the weekend.
The court heard on Thursday that his 21-year-old stepdaughter, Eve Markoski-Wood, called police on Saturday night after allegedly finding that he had harmed her mother, fellow Bachelor star Snezana Wood, at the Noosa property.
Sam Wood is taking his bail application to Queensland’s highest court after being refused bail on Thursday
The reality TV star turned fitness entrepreneur is likely sharing a cell with other inmates at Brisbane Correctional Centre
Inmates follow strict, highly structured routines, including set times for communal meals
Prosecutors allege Wood seized his wife by the throat with one hand before throwing her against a wall.
He allegedly continued to hold her throat tightly while she was on the ground, restricting her ability to breathe, the court was told.
“She thought she was going to die,” police prosecutor Jeanette Grigoris said in relation to Ms Wood.
Sergeant Grigoris alleged Ms Wood was choked until her breathing stopped before Wood banged her head against the floor.
The court also heard that Ms Wood had allegedly suffered a serious assault by her husband in Victoria three or four years ago, although no charges were laid over that incident.
Mr Cuskelly told the court that Wood denied strangling his wife and said his account of the confrontation could support a claim of self-defence.
“There were hostilities,” he said.
“The complainant has moved towards him and continued to yell at him.”
‘He pushed her away. There is denial of any strangulation.’
The incident is alleged to have occurred at the couple’s apartment at La Mer in Noosa (pictured)
It is alleged a row broke out as the couple were packing their belongings to return home to Melbourne, and Snezana was pushed into a wardrobe before Eve (pictured above) intervened
Wood (pictured with Snezana and their newborn) may use self-defence if the charges against him go to trial, according to his lawyer Mathew Cuskelly
Sam Wood (pictured with wife Snezana) has gone from a life of luxury to being locked up in a notorious high-security prison
Acting Magistrate Janelle Boegheim rejected the bail application, describing the prosecution case as relatively strong.
She said consideration for bail could be revisited if the strength of the case changed.
A Wood family statement addressing the charges was earlier shared on Instagram with his 253,000 followers and his wife’s 330,000 followers.
‘We are working through this as a family and are thoroughly co-operating with the authorities,’ it said.
Wood earned a national profile as a star of The Bachelor’s third season in 2015, launching a successful home fitness business 28 By Sam Wood.
He reportedly sold it in 2022 for more than $70 million but remained the face of the online platform.
The wellness businesses behind the platform cut ties with him on Tuesday, a day after placing him on indefinite leave.
Wood has been charged with the domestic violence offence of assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation in a domestic setting.
Mr Cuskelly earlier claimed Wood would defend the charges.