A former special services commando turned nude model is facing a lengthy legal battle after he was accused of assaulting a man at a private pool party in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Heston Russell did not appear in Sydney Downing Centre Court on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to the charge of common assault.
Police allege the OnlyFans model had been cruising around Sydney Harbour on January 2 before attending an exclusive pool party in Potts Point.
Around 6.30pm that evening, police allege Mr Russell got into an argument with a fellow partygoer and hit him.
The former commander of the November Platoon was contacted by police on May 16 after a five-month investigation into the alleged altercation.
He was issued a court attendance notice just a week before the federal election in which he was making his first bid for a Senate seat under his Australian Values party.
The vocal veteran, who is an advocate for ex-military servicemen across the country, has denied the charge.
After the allegation came to light in May, Mr Russell issued a statement confirming the charge and suggesting the allegation was politically motivated.
“The allegations are completely unfounded, which I have no doubt the police will discover in due course,” the statement read.
“This is another poor attempt at smearing and an attack on my character to deter voters in the week leading up to the federal election.”
The former commando was expected to face court on Tuesday to advance the legal proceedings, however the court heard his lawyer is currently overseas.
His legal team requested a three-week adjournment to allow the instructing lawyer to return from his holiday and go through the brief of prosecution evidence with Mr Russell.
It is likely a hearing will be set down for late next year.
The 36-year-old, who resides in Brisbane, made headlines last year after he raised $15,000 for veterans charity Swiss 8 by selling nude photos of himself on OnlyFans.
The thwarted Senate hopeful will return to Sydney Downing Centre Court on August 31 to determine the next step in fighting the charge against him.
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