A Hawke’s Bay lawyer has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
A lawyer accused of assaulting and injuring his ex-girlfriend has pleaded not guilty to a charge of male assaults female and one charge injuring with intent to injure.
Kris Anthony Dender, 37, of Hastings law firm Holderness Mansfield, can now be named after an order suppressing his name lapsed yesterday. He will not be making a further application for name suppression, his lawyer said.
He appeared before a registrar yesterday at Hastings District Court.
According to a report by the NZ Herald, it is alleged that Dender injured his ex-girlfriend, professional triathlete Amelia Watkinson, 24, back in April at Havelock North.
Dender elected to have a judge alone trial. He was remanded on bail to a date set down next month for a case review hearing, when he will return to court.
Watkinson was the female winner in Thailand on Saturday at this year’s Pattaya Triathlon, she also one the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman in January.
Dender joined Holderness Mansfield last year after graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 2014 and is also keen athlete, having previously represented New Zealand, according to the blurb on the firm’s website.
