Antony Catalano’s bail varied so he can travel to the wife he’s accused of bashing

Media mogul Antony Catalano will be permitted to travel interstate to see his wife in Byron Bay, despite facing charges he assaulted and threatened to kill her.

Defence lawyer Tony Hargreaves asked that Catalano now be allowed to see his wife, Stefanie Catalano, and their children after limitations were placed on his travel at a bail hearing earlier this year.

“When he was bailed he couldn’t leave the state of Victoria to go to Byron Bay to see his wife and children. That’s something he’d like to do,” Hargreaves said.

Catalano, the former chief executive of Domain, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday via video link dressed in a suit and tie.

Stefanie Catalano, the complainant, also appeared remotely but was represented in court by her own lawyer, following an alleged hour-long attack on her that ended when she escaped the couple’s St Kilda home and fled onto the street for help.

“Mr Catalano, your bail is varied, there is no longer a condition that you can’t leave Victoria,” magistrate Stephen Lee said in granting the application.

In March, the court heard Catalano was abusing substances and wearing only underwear when he allegedly threatened to kill his partner and dragged her through their luxury apartment.

The court heard CCTV allegedly showed the 59-year-old dragging her by her hair and ankles before brandishing an iron and swinging it with force towards her head in the laundry.

As the alleged attack continued, police said the complainant grabbed Catalano’s underwear in the hope of leaving evidence for police if she were killed.

After fleeing onto the street, Stefanie Catalano flagged down a motorist for help. Catalano was arrested hours later.

Catalano was bailed after the incident so he could attend in-patient rehabilitation.

Catalano, who built his multimillion-dollar empire in the Australian media industry, has been charged with making threats to kill, unlawful imprisonment, recklessly causing injury, intentionally choke, strangle or suffocate, and four counts of assault.

The real estate executive turned regional media entrepreneur is on leave from his positions at Australian Community Media and View Media Group. Last month, he also resigned from his directorships of 19 Cashews and 20 Cashews, the investment vehicles he had previously controlled alongside Melbourne billionaire Alex Waislitz.

The entity owns Australian Community Media, publisher of The Canberra Times and Newcastle Herald among others, and has a significant stake in View Media Group.

Catalano, who recently completed a 28-day stint in a Melbourne rehab facility, is yet to enter a plea on the charges, but his legal team earlier indicated there were “triable issues” to work through.

The case will return to court on July 1.

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