Below Deck star Nathan Gallagher has fled Australia to avoid facing justice after new details emerged of a sustained and violent assault on his former co-star and girlfriend, Gael Cameron, which police say came close to killing her. The 28-year-old Irish reality TV personality, who appeared on Below Deck Mediterranean alongside Cameron, had kept the assault hidden for nine months after his arrest before recently claiming publicly that he had been unfairly judged without the "full story" being known.

Police facts presented to court describe how Gallagher attacked Cameron in her Sydney apartment on Boxing Day night, following a verbal argument after the couple had been drinking. Between around 3am and 7am, he repeatedly covered her mouth and nose to stop her breathing, ignored her attempts to scream for help, and continued restraining her even as she fell to the bedroom floor trying to escape, all while their six-month-old son lay nearby on the bed. Cameron gave evidence against Gallagher at Burwood Local Court, where the case has proceeded despite his having since left the country to evade Australian authorities.