As a champion boxer, Harry Garside is known for his lightening-fast reflexes – but he has one quick-thinking move to thank for saving his career.
In the middle of an argument with his former girlfriend Ashley Ruscoe, the celebrity boxer pressed record on his phone.
The images and audio captured from those recordings ultimately led police to drop domestic assault charges against Garside and prove his innocence.
Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal what those recordings show – and it is a very different story to the original allegation that Garside assaulted Ruscoe at Bellevue Hill in Sydney‘s east on March 1.
According to sources, the recordings reveal Ruscoe as the aggressor.
She taunts Garside and threatens on multiple occasions to ruin his career and ‘f**k up your reputation’.
At one stage, according to sources, Ruscoe even claims she will go ‘straight to the Daily Mail’.
Ruscoe had alleged that Garside attacked her on March 1 in the exclusive suburb of Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s east
Ruscoe allegedly sent Garside the following message: ‘Think about what you’re doing Harry. This will ruin your career, as I will 100 percent charge you with common assault’
And she says it doesn’t matter if Garside is innocent or not – once the story is out, it will go ‘against your career’.
Throughout the recording, it is understood the 25-year-old denies doing anything wrong or assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
Ruscoe allegedly responds that police will believe her side of the story and drag him from the house.
Garside was arrested by police as he made his way to the baggage area at Sydney Airport on May 2 after flying home from South Africa following filming of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
A source close to the former couple says Ruscoe, 34, was worried about comments Garside may have made about her on the reality TV show.
In a small sequence of footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Ruscoe walks through a doorway carrying a suitcase before she appears to lunge at Garside.
The video then cuts out.
Ruscoe declined to comment.
Garside is pictured outside court on Wednesday with his solicitor Rebekah Giles and barrister Sue Chrysanthou
Garside was arrested in dramatic scenes at Sydney Airport as he returned home from South Africa after filming the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (pictured)
The domestic violence charge and associated apprehended domestic violence order against Garside were formally withdrawn by the police prosecutor during a hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
Outside court, Garside said he felt vindicated and thanked police for ‘reviewing the overwhelming evidence’ in his favour.
‘You never hope this happens, especially from someone that you loved and were in a relationship with, but I am grateful that I did have the foresight to get that evidence.’
NSW Police also released a statement confirming the charges against Garside had been dropped after ‘new information was provided to detectives and police’.
Daily Mail Australia understands the last contact between the pair was on March 15 – ten days before Garside entered the jungle.
On that day Ruscoe allegedly sent Garside the following message: ‘Think about what you’re doing Harry. This will ruin your career, as I will 100 per cent charge you with common assault and then sue you for defamation. And you can say goodbye to any brand deals and public image.’
According to sources, on March 25, the same day Garside left for South Africa with no communication with the outside world until his elimination, Ruscoe approached police to indicate she had fears for her safety.
After a successful stint as the runner up to netballer Liz Ellis, Garside was eliminated from the competition more than a month later, on April 30, at which time he received his phone back.
Ruscoe, 34, is a boxing and martial arts instructor and runs the business Hit Like a Girl.
‘One of the reasons why I called my brand Hit Like a Girl is because I hated the term “hit like a girl” that had so much of a derogative kind of tone to it, and I really wanted to turn that whole phrase around. I wanted to make “hit like a girl” a term of empowerment,’ she told her Instagram followers.
On Wednesday, Garside, who originally hails from Melbourne, sat in the front row of the public gallery alongside his lawyers, high-profile defamation KC Sue Chrysanthou and solicitor Rebekah Giles.
‘There shouldn’t have been any charges in this case, but my client is content with the speed at which [the prosecution] has moved,’ Ms Chrysanthou told the court.
