A Sydney entrepreneur, Callum Forbes, has described how he offered to marry his banker boyfriend, David Cao, in a desperate bid to survive an alleged attack at a French hotel in July. Cao, 37, allegedly struck Forbes on the head with a saucepan and poured boiling water over him at the Château de Perreux in central France, before being charged with attempted murder following a 36-hour manhunt. The case has drawn attention both for its violence and for Cao's professional background at a major Australian bank, from which he has since departed.

Forbes said the alleged assault came after days of tension during a European trip, including a claim that Cao had taken his passport and assaulted him in Barcelona two days earlier. He alleges he woke to find Cao hitting him with the pan and pouring boiling water over him, locking him in the room before he escaped by barricading himself in the bathroom; he was left with head scars, reduced hearing and psychological trauma, and spent almost three weeks in a French hospital. Cao was later found in Lille, nearly 500km away, and remains in custody awaiting trial next year, having reportedly denied intending to kill his partner.