An IT whizkid accused of livestreaming himself assaulting his pregnant girlfriend when she asked him to end a video game binge will skip his next court appearance to avoid the public eye.
Luke Munday appeared at Camden Local Court in Sydney on Thursday morning – four days after a video of the 26-year-old playing Fortnite while allegedly bashing his partner was beamed around the globe.
Wearing a pale white shirt and grey trousers, with no tie or belt, Munday made his way through the media scrum to front a magistrate, charged with common assault.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham granted a request from Munday’s lawyer for a four-week adjournment so the father can seek ‘adequate legal advice’.
Luke Munday, 26, appeared at Camden Local Court in Sydney on Thursday morning
Wearing a pale white shirt and grey trousers, with no tie or belt, Munday (pictured) made his way through the media scrum to front a magistrate
Munday (pictured) is accused by police if livestreaming himself allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend when she asked him to stop playing Fortnite
‘There’s a lot of a attention on this case, my client, and the alleged victim,’ lawyer Steven Mercael told the court.
Munday was mobbed my media and members of the public as he left the courthouse, but offered no comment.
‘This is not the time or the place,’ Mr Mercael said when asked if his client had anything to say.
Someone yelled ‘you dog’ as Munday walked outside but did not confront him.
In the video, filmed at his home in Oran Park, western Sydney, Munday was seen walking off camera before a commotion was heard, at which point the woman is alleged to have screamed in agony.
Munday (pictured) was mobbed my media and members of the public as he left the courthouse, but offered no comment
Munday (pictured) is accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend after she asked him to stop playing Fortnite
‘You’re all judging the video, you don’t see what happens, you haven’t read the police report, you don’t actually know what happened off camera,’ Munday told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.
On Sunday night, as Munday’s game was broadcast live on the Twitch e-sports video stream, the woman could be heard asking him to stop playing the online game.
In response to her request, Munday, who had been the poster boy for tech giant Cisco said: ‘Can you not? I said I’ll be out soon’.
‘No computer, I’m sick of this s**t,’ she responded.
After she was allegedly attacked, Munday’s girlfriend could be heard yelling in the video: ‘Do they know you touched me and I’m pregnant.
Munday, 26, was charged on Sunday night after fans watching a live stream of him playing the popular video game called police when they allegedly heard him assault his partner
Children could be heard crying in the background of the video as the pair continued to argue.
Eventually, Munday allegedly snapped again, screaming: ‘F*** off you dog, you don’t pay the bills.’
Munday was taken to Narellan Police station and charged with assault at 11.30pm on Sunday, as the stream of his alleged assault went viral on Twitter.
The 26-year-old would reportedly play Fortnite for up to eight hours in a single sitting (stock)
Munday’s alleged attack comes after one year after he spoke of his desire to create financial security for his family after his father walked out on him as a toddler.
‘When my partner fell pregnant with our first child, a lot changes and your responsibilities go through the roof,’ he said.
‘I had that philosophy I wouldn’t let that happen to my own kids.’
The budding IT genius was the top ranking Australian at last years’ Cisco Networking Academy NetRiders Competition, leading him to being offered a job with Telstra.
Police arrested Munday inside a home in Sydney’s west on Sunday night
On Sunday night, Munday’s game was broadcast live on the Twitch e-sports video stream (stock)
But in the wake of charges, the telecommunications giant confirmed they had suspended Munday while police carry out their investigation.
In a statement, Telstra General Media Manager Steve Carey condemned the alleged domestic violence attack.
‘This behaviour goes against what we stand for as an organisation and the work we have done to assist women impacted by domestic violence,’ Mr Carey said.
‘We have suspended Luke’s employment pending a full investigation and will co-operate with any police investigation.
‘Domestic violence has no place in our community. It is totally unacceptable and needs to be eradicated.’
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