Twenty-nine (29) year old actor Helmut Bartholomew was the son of well known Australian television personalities Wilfred and Astrid Bartholomew. He and actress Clementine Huddersfield (26) had been living together for six (6) years when Clementine Huddersfield called an end to that relationship and moved out of their Wellington Point home.
Wednesday 13 September 2006
At 5:00 pm on Wednesday 13 September 2006 Clementine Huddersfield visited their former home at Wellington Point and when she did so, she was brutally assaulted by Helmut Bartholomew. Bartholomew pushed Ms Clementine Huddersfield to the ground and into a wall. He punched her several times. She could not defend herself and she begged him to stop, but he continued.
A week later Ms Huddersfield went to the police to make a complaint about Mr Bartholomew. Her bruising from the assault was still apparent.
As a result of that complaint by Ms Huddersfield, Police charged Helmut Bartholomew with the following offences:
- 2 x Common Assault;
- 1 x Stalking / Intimidate with the Intent of Causing Physical / Mental Harm; and
- 1 x Assault Occasioning Bodily Harm.
Brisbane Police alleged Mr Bartholomew assaulted Clementine Huddersfield on two (2) occasions in September 2006 and October 2006, as well as making several threats to her and her family.
Police also confirmed that they questioned the make-up artists of Ms Clementine Huddersfield in order to support evidence of bruising allegedly caused by Bartholomew at the time of the alleged assaults.
Police also alleged that Mr Bartholomew had previously been involved in a number of other earlier violent incidents. The police refused to grant Mr Bartholomew bail.
After spending twenty-seven (27) hours in police custody, a Magistrate granted Mr Bartholomew bail until his court hearing in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on the following Thursday. The bail conditions to which Mr Bartholomew was subject were reasonably strict, including:
- He must comply with the Domestic Violence Protection Order in respect of him;
- He must stay well away from Ms Huddersfield; and
- He must avoid all contact with Ms Huddersfield.
Subsequently Mr Bartholomew engaged legal representatives to assist him and they negotiated significantly with the Crown on his behalf. The ultimate arrangement upon which agreement was reached was that Mr Bartholomew would plead guilty to 1 x common assault, an offence which carries a maximum 12-month jail sentence. The Crown would agree to drop the other charges.
Upon being sentenced for this event Mr Bartholomew received a sentence which was not thought to be controversial, with the possible exception of the conviction that was recorded against him. Mr Bartholomew took issue with that aspect of the sentence and commenced an appeal to the District Court.
In 2007 District Court Judge Feargal Shankley heard an appeal against sentence by Helmut Bartholomew
At sentence and on appeal Mr Bartholomew did not deny the allegations made against him as to the assault upon Ms Clementine Huddersfield.
Psychiatrist Dr Derbyshire Hoffman had been treating Bartholomew for severe depression. The treatment was undertaken daily for some months prior to his appeal against his sentence. Dr Hoffman contended that Mr Bartholomew had been successfully treated and that Bartholomew had "achieved real rehabilitation".
At the appeal the evidence of Dr Hoffman was that when Mr Bartholomew struck Ms Clementine Huddersfield, the "severe depressive disorder from which Mr Bartholomew was suffering was full-blown".
In addition to hearing from Dr Hoffman, Judge Shankley heard a long list of entertainment personnel provide glowing references for Mr Bartholomew. In essence they told the judge that Mr Bartholomew had the "utmost respect for women".
The judge found that Helmut Bartholomew was a "gentleman" who was unlikely to hit a woman again and the "significant" evidence of his psychiatrist supported quashing the conviction of Bartholomew for assaulting Clementine Huddersfield. The Judge continued, "It is significant that Dr Hoffman believes that Mr Bartholomew is unlikely to repeat an offence of this nature".
In re-sentencing Mr Bartholomew, Judge Shankley said the appropriate sentence was an absolute discharge. The behaviour of Mr Bartholomew did not even warrant a good behaviour bond in his view.
Genevieve Theile
Some time after his relationship with Ms Clementine Huddersfield ended Helmut Bartholomew commenced a relationship with another young actress. This time it was with Ms Genevieve Theile.
2009 - Maroochydore Hotel Room
In 2009 Helmut Bartholomew again found himself in the media spotlight for the wrong reasons. Mr Bartholomew agreed to pay $7,500.00 in compensation for damage to a Maroochydore hotel room booked in the name of Genevieve Theile. No police charges were laid and Mr Bartholomew denied being responsible for the damage.
March 2010
In March 2010, Helmut Bartholomew was ejected from a Spring Hill hotel after staff discovered $4,000.00 worth of damage to the room and bathroom during his three-week stay. Mr Bartholomew said the room was "fine" when he checked out. There was no suggestion Ms Theile had any presence at that Spring Hill hotel.
Friday 13 August 2010 and Saturday 14 August 2010
On Friday 13 August 2010 and Saturday 14 August 2010 actress Genevieve Theile (29) and actor Helmut Bartholomew (33) were together as a couple in the Whitsunday Islands in North Queensland. During that stay Helmut Bartholomew perpetrated two unprovoked violent assaults upon Ms Genevieve Theile. One of those assaults was in the lobby of a luxury resort hotel.
Mr Bartholomew was "escorted" home from the Whitsunday Islands by a televison network producer.
Subsequent to the allegations involving Ms Genevieve Theile, Mr Bartholomew was readmitted to a private rehabilitation clinic in Indooroopilly.
No criminal charges were laid over the allegations.
September 2010
Ms Genevieve Theile had significant fears for her personal safety, well being and security following the events involving Mr Bartholomew in the Whitsunday Islands.
In September 2010 Ms Genevieve Theile commenced legal proceedings in the Magistrates Court, Brisbane seeking a Domestic Violence Protection Order against Mr Helmut Bartholomew. That application was based on a series of gravely serious incidents, including those unprovoked violent assaults in August 2010.
The Court found sufficient merit in the application of Ms Theile for a temporary Domestic Violence Protection Order to be granted in respect of Mr Helmut Bartholomew.
Monday 25 October 2010
On Monday 25 October 2010 Helmut Bartholomew appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court in respect of the application for a Domestic Violence Protection Order Ms Theile lodged in September 2010.
Mr Helmut Bartholomew agreed to a two (2) year Domestic Violence Protection Order in respect of his former girlfriend, Genevieve Theile, without making any admissions. The Court made orders accordingly and in so doing told Helmut Bartholomew that he faced up to two (2) years in prison if he breached the order.
In essence that two (2) year Domestic Violence Protection Order:
- Prohibited Helmut Bartholomew from approaching or contacting Genevieve Theile, unless it is through lawyers.
- Required Helmut Bartholomew to refrain from destroying or deliberately damaging the property of Genevieve Theile.
- Obliged Helmut Bartholomew not to:
- Assault, molest, harass or threaten Genevieve Theile or her family; or
- Enter buildings where Genevieve Theile may live or work.
December 2010
In December 2010 Helmut Bartholomew found himself once again the subject of some media attention. However this time it was attention with a difference: a radio announcer conducted a media campaign calling on people to punch Helmut Bartholomew in the mouth.
Apparently in response to that campaign Helmut Bartholomew was assaulted by a man in West End, Brisbane. As a result of that assault Helmut Bartholomew received a broken nose and he needed stitches to his face.
Saturday 5 February 2011 and Sunday 6 February 2011
With those Domestic Violence Protection Order proceedings now happily in her past, Genevieve Theile thought she could move on with her life and she endeavoured to do so. Imagine her surprise when nothing more than an approach in public from another young man caused Helmut Bartholomew to contact her by telephone over the weekend of Saturday 5 February 2011 and Sunday 6 February 2011 and breach that court order.
After learning of that approach to Genevieve Theile, Helmut Bartholomew apparently unravelled and went missing for several days from the private rehabilitation clinic in Indooroopilly where he was supposedly receiving treatment. Around the same time as he went missing from that clinic, he contacted Genevieve Theile via her mobile telephone.
The Police were informed of this behaviour by Helmut Bartholomew and used reverse call surveillance to track all incoming activity on the telephone of Genevieve Theile. Police discovered Helmut Bartholomew contacted Genevieve Theile nearly forty (40) times in one day. In part that contact involved Helmut Bartholomew sending dozens of text messages to Genevieve Theile.
Tuesday 8 February 2011
At about 5:00 pm Tuesday 8 February 2011 Helmut Bartholomew was arrested in Fortitude Valley and charged with:
- Breaching a Domestic Violence Protection Order; and
- Using a carriage service to menace or harass.
After being charged with those offences in respect of his ex-girlfriend Genevieve Theile, Helmut Bartholomew was granted bail.
He was due to appear before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday 2 March 2011.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
On Wednesday 9 February 2011 Helmut Bartholomew admitted himself to the River West Mental Health Clinic, a private rehabilitation clinic in Indooroopilly, Brisbane.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
On Wednesday 2 March 2011 Helmut Bartholomew was a voluntary resident of River West Mental Health Clinic in Indooroopilly. A large media pack followed him from that clinic to the Brisbane Magistrates Court where he was due to appear for mention in respect of the charges of Tuesday 8 February 2011.
When those charges came before the Court the solicitor for Helmut Bartholomew told the court he planned to apply for the matter to be dealt with under the Mental Health Act.
The solicitor said further, “Helmut Bartholomew does not have any addictions, he has a psychiatric illness. After five (5) months (October 2010 - March 2011) in a mental facility being treated for a psychiatric illness, Mr Bartholomew was now living in fear at an undisclosed address. This residential relocation came about after he was king hit by a man following a media campaign calling on people to punch Helmut Bartholomew in the mouth.”
In responding to those submissions on behalf of Mr Bartholomew the Magistrate said to the solicitor for Mr Bartholomew, “Clementine Huddersfield was living in fear of Mr Bartholomew as he launched his violent assaults upon her, but she did not have the luxury of relocating to an undisclosed address. Genevieve Theile was similarly violated by Mr Bartholomew and she also did not have the luxury of relocating to an undisclosed address. Your client showed no regard for these two women when he made them the victims of his disgraceful violence, yet because he has been the subject of some unwanted attention, he wants to be given special consideration, if not treatment. Is your client undergoing any empathy training as part of his therapy or is he constraining himself to attempts at irony?”
The solicitor for Mr Bartholomew chose not to respond directly to that question from the bench. Rather he said Wednesday 13 April 2011 was an appropriate day to adjourn the matter. Accordingly the matter was adjourned until Wednesday 13 April 2011.
Wednesday 13 April 2011
On Wednesday 13 April 2011 the charges against Helmut Bartholomew of Tuesday 8 February 2011 were again before the Brisbane Magistrates Court for mention.
During that mention of the charges the solicitor for Helmut Bartholomew told the Court Mr Bartholomew was:
- Suffering from a significant mental illness made up of a range of disorders, including:
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; and
- Social Phobia;
- Prone to panic attacks;
- Manic depressive;
- Obsessive compulsive; and
- A voluntary patient at the River West Mental Health Clinic in Indooroopilly, where he has spent the past sixty-three (63) days. (Wednesday 9 February 2011 to Wednesday 13 April 2011).
The solicitor added Helmut Bartholomew was "involved in a regime of seriously mind-affecting drugs" as treatment and he was “currently on a massive drug dose”.
The solicitor for the Crown then told the Court that with the aforementioned treatment in mind, the Crown agreed to adjourn the charges against Mr Bartholomew for six (6) months to monitor the progress of that treatment.
The Presiding Magistrate allowed the application for the adjournment. In so doing the Magistrate told Mr Bartholomew the charges would not be held against him, as long as he continues his treatment plan for at least the next six (6) months.
Mr Bartholomew did not respond to that address by the Magistrate.
The Magistrate then adjourned the matter until Wednesday 12 October 2011.
April Blessington
Subsequent to his being charged in respect of breaching the Domestic Violence Protection Order in relation to Genevieve Theile on Tuesday 8 February 2011, Helmut Bartholomew formed a relationship with another young actress, April Blessington. When asked about the past of Mr Bartholomew, Ms Blessington said she was confident all those troubles are behind Mr Bartholomew and their relationship would be free of those difficulties.
Killer - Incompetent to Stand Trial
Wednesday 12 April 2006
42-year-old Augustus Fangore was a man with a long history of psychiatric problems. He had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for most of his adult life and there were not too many months of that adult life where he was not the subject of an Involuntary (Psychiatric) Treatment Order endeavouring to regulate his mental health.
On Wednesday 12 April 2006 Augustus Fangore was enjoying one of those rare moments in his life when he was not in hospital and not the subject of an Involuntary (Psychiatric) Treatment Order. He was living in the small town of Gatton, situated between Brisbane and Toowoomba. At about 9:30 a.m he entered the Gatton Post Office and encountered Gilbert Loosen, a Post Office staff member. For no apparent reason and without any warning Augustus Fangore produced a knife and launched a frenzied attack upon Gilbert Loosen. As part of that attack Augustus Fangore brutally stabbed Gilbert Loosen several times in the face, neck and body. That stabbing proved to be fatal.
After the stabbing Augustus Fangore dropped the knife and then ran outside the Post Office and into the main Gatton shopping area. Another post office worker followed Mr Fangore out of the door, screaming about what had occurred. Several members of the public in the area saw Mr Fangore, but were not aware of what had happened. However they soon figured out what happened and three men chased after Mr Fangore. Subsequently those men apprehended Mr Fangore and held him for the police.
Police arrested and charged Mr Augustus Fangore with the murder of Mr Loosen.
As part of the prosecution process Augustus Fangore was the subject of a mental health assessment assessed by his own doctors and also doctors for the Crown. He was deemed incompetent to stand trial because he could not assist in his defence and did not understand the charges against him. He was also found to be of unsound mind at the time of the offence involving Mr Loosen.
He was then an inpatient at one of the State Mental Hospitals and the subject of an Involuntary (Psychiatric) Treatment Order for at least the next three (3) years.
Thursday 12 May 2011 - Day Release For Augustus Fangore
The hospital in which Augustus Fangore was staying as a secure patient had a system as part of its treatment program that allowed the patients to graduate from supervised walks within the grounds to unescorted visits to public locations. However all patients who wished to participate in that leave system were required to undergo a clinical assessment before they were permitted to leave the hospital. That clinical assessment became part of the greater leave assessment process, which process involved consideration of factors regarding both the patient and the community.
Such was the progress Augustus Fangore was felt to be making by his treating doctors, that after four (4) years as a secure patient he was considered a sufficiently low security risk to be allowed out on day leave. However that leave approval extended only to escorted leave. Accordingly he was supposed to have a minder with him at all times he was away from the hospital.
“The Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Men, Go Oft Awry”
With that day release exercise under way, Augustus Fangore found himself at City Hall listening to a musical performance by visiting classical music group. When the performance had concluded and the time came for he and his minder to leave City Hall and make their way back to the motor vehicle for the return journey to the hospital, Augustus Fangore managed to lose his minder in the surrounding crowd. Having done so, he went sight-seeing of sorts around the city.
Amongst other places that unplanned and unapproved sightseeing tour of the city took Augustus Fangore to the Regency Place Hotel at Spring Hill, a hotel he had never previously attended. For the most part it was not a controversial detour from the agenda prepared for the day. However that situation changed when Augustus Fangore noticed that Helmut Bartholomew and April Blessington were also present at the Regency Palace Hotel at Spring Hill. Neither of those two actors were previously known to Mr Fangore, but thanks largely to the behaviour of Mr Bartholomew, he managed to bring both himself and Ms Blessington to
the attention of the day-tripping Augustus Fangore.
As he had done on a previous occasion Helmut Bartholomew apparently thought it was appropriate to assault his young female companion in the foyer of a hotel. On this occasion that companion was April Blessington. Perhaps not surprisingly Augustus Fangore noticed that altercation and took objection to it. Such was the extent of his objection he decided to approach Helmut Bartholomew and launch an assault of his own upon Helmut Bartholomew.
April Blessington seized the opportunity the intervention of Augustus created and fled the scene. She immediately went to the police and made a complaint about what had occurred.
In the meantime Augustus Fangore continued his assault upon Helmut Bartholomew, who was quickly overpowered. The attack was frenzied, fierce and brutal. Helmut Bartholomew did not stand a chance. He succumbed to Augustus Fangore without resistance and the end came quickly for him.
As Helmut Bartholomew lay motionless on the floor in a large pool of his own blood, Augustus Fangore seemed to take a few moments to compose himself. In the circumstances he returned to what appeared to be calm rather quickly. After a couple of minutes a very calm Augustus Fangore walked over to the reception counter at the hotel, picked up one of the telephones and used it to ring his doctor at the hospital.
He told the doctor “You had better come and get me. I have gone too far again.”
The doctor then quickly made arrangements to have Augustus returned to secure custody in the hospital.
As Augustus completed his telephone conversation with his doctor the police arrived and Augustus surrendered to them without incident. Those police seemed to be aware of the history of Augustus before they approached him, because the older one said to Augustus, “Come on now Augustus, you had better come with us and you had better put these handcuffs on before we put you in the paddy wagon”.
As the police were walking Augustus out to the police vehicle, the older police officer said to the younger police officer, “Augustus will be found Not guilty of the Helmut Bartholomew attack because the Court will rule that he was of unsound mind at the time of the offence.”
The three men then got into the police vehicle and returned Augustus to the hospital.
Wednesday 12 October 2011
On Wednesday 12 October 2011, upon learning of the news of Helmut Bartholomew, the Magistrate dismissed the charges against him.
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