Actor Dave Eastgate pleads not guilty to making menacing phone call to ex-girlfriend
Actor and comedian Dave Eastgate has pleaded not guilty to making a menacing phone call to his ex-girlfriend eight months after they broke up, where he allegedly threatened her and said she would have "no f---ing proof" if she tried to take him to court.
Mr Eastgate, 40, was charged in January with two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend after he allegedly made seven calls to the woman between 5.19pm and 5.36pm on December 29, 2018.
The woman went to police later that day and officers applied for an interim Apprehended Domestic Violence Order on her behalf.
Police allege Mr Eastgate was in a relationship with the woman for about six months and has been "continually harassing and intimidating" her through phone calls since they broke up in April 2018.
The woman applied for an AVO, which was dismissed on December 13, 2018 due to lack of evidence.
It is alleged that 11 days after the AVO was dismissed, Mr Eastgate called the woman and in a 33-second phone call said he "just want[ed] to have a quick chat" before hanging up.
On December 29, he allegedly phoned the woman again and she immediately put her phone on speaker and began recording the conversation.
Mr Eastgate allegedly began making threats three minutes and 12 seconds into the call, telling the woman, "you want to f--- with my life, and you want to get involved in my life, I'll get involved in your life. Okay, I'm f---ing serious".
It is alleged the woman repeatedly told Mr Eastgate to stop contacting her, telling him in the conversation, "what you are doing right now is harassing me, and I am asking you to stop calling me".
He allegedly responded, "You can take another AVO out, but I swear to god, if you remain friends with [another ex-girlfriend], I would think very carefully if I were you. I would think about it really f---ing carefully okay."
It is alleged he later added, "You've got no f---ing proof. So we can go fight it out in court again, but you've got no f---ing proof."
When the woman ended the phone call, Mr Eastgate allegedly called her a further six times in five minutes but the calls were not answered.
The case was mentioned at Downing Centre Local Court earlier this month, where Mr Eastgate's lawyer entered two not guilty pleas.
He indicated his client would be applying to have the charges dealt with under section 32 of the Mental Health Act, which gives magistrates the power to dismiss charges on mental health grounds.
If the charges are not dismissed, the matter will proceed to a hearing on May 6.
Mr Eastgate, an actor, singer and stand-up comedian, has appeared in drama series Doctor Doctor, stage production Muriel's Wedding the Musical, and comedy series Kiki and Kitty.
He is the frontman for band Boner Contention.