Former Bachelor star Sam Wood appeals bail denial
Sam Wood, a former reality-TV personality, has appealed a magistrate’s and a Supreme Court’s decisions to keep him in custody pending trial for alleged assault on his wife.
Former reality-TV star and fitness influencer Sam Wood has lodged an appeal against the court’s decision to deny him bail. Wood, 46, has been held on remand since his arrest on October 3, when police said he strangled and assaulted his wife, Snezana, during a holiday in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. A magistrate initially refused bail and transferred him to a Brisbane prison, and a later Supreme Court hearing also resulted in a bail denial.
Justice Patrick McCafferty noted that Wood had consumed several drinks at dinner before an argument erupted over Snezana’s desire to pack their bags. The judge said an argument began involving their daughter, Eve Markoski Wood, who witnessed the incident. According to the witness, Wood threatened that both she and her mother could "both die" and said he would "send you back to your family." The judge stated that Wood allegedly attacked Eve before Snezana intervened, after which the couple returned to their room. Eve reportedly heard her mother’s voice become muffled and heard gasping. Snezana alleges Wood grabbed her throat, causing her to lose breath and fall to the floor while he continued to hold her throat.
Wood’s legal team filed the appeal on Monday, arguing that the court did not sufficiently consider the length of time he might spend in prison before trial, that the denial was unreasonable or unjust, and that the judge failed to assess whether proposed bail conditions could mitigate any risk of reoffending or to provide reasons for rejecting bail.