Wayne Cooper faces more court drama in the New Year after being accused of assaulting his wife

EXCLUSIVE 

Fashion designer Wayne Cooper’s New Year is set to begin just as the old one ended – with more court appearances over restraining orders and allegations he assaulted his wife.

Cooper, who gained fame in the 1990s with his BRAVE label, was repeatedly in and out of the dock in the days leading up to Christmas, as well as twice spending stints behind bars. 

The 61-year-old has so often been in front of magistrates since the start of December that a fresh accusation he assaulted his wife Elizabeth Adams has previously gone unreported.

He now faces two charges of common assault and one of contravening an apprehended violence order, as well as being named in separate AVOs sought by police to protect both him and his wife.

He’s also not allowed to go within 200km of the estranged couple’s $5million mansion at Myocum, 13km inland from Byron Bay on the NSW far north coast. 

Cooper married Adams in December last year, having met the mother-of-two just nine months earlier, but their union has been troubled for much of that time.

First, police sought an AVO to protect Cooper from Adams at Byron Bay Local Court in early August. 

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden confirmed that order for two years on August 19, preventing Adams from assaulting, intimidating, threatening, harassing or stalking her husband.

Weeks later, Ms Adams, 47, revealed to Daily Mail Australia that the shadow of Cooper’s ex-wife Sarah Marsh loomed over their marriage, triggering a meltdown which landed her in court. 

‘Like Princess Diana said, “There’s three of us in this marriage”, so it’s getting a bit crowded,’ the former UBS banker said.

‘But, despite the uncertainties, my commitment to Wayne is unwavering. Our love for one another is infectious and we’re more committed than ever.’

At the same time Cooper told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Everything is fine. It’s a storm in a teacup. We’re together and we’re happy and that’s it.’

Marsh responded by saying she was not in contact with Cooper and had nothing to do with his new wife.

‘I’ve never even met her,’ the one-time model said. ‘Except for seeing her in court once. As for him, I haven’t spoken to Wayne in over two years.’

Days after those comments, in mid-September, Byron Bay police applied for an AVO to protect Adams from Cooper. That matter was dismissed on October 28. 

All was quiet for the next five weeks. 

Cooper has spent so much time in front of magistrates since the start of December that a fresh accusation he assaulted his wife Elizabeth Adams has previously gone unreported. The couple are pictured on their wedding day

Cooper married Ms Adams in December last year, having met the mother-of-two just nine months earlier. Ms Adams is pictured on her wedding day

Then on December 8, Adams went to police claiming Cooper had assaulted her during an argument which involved a wine bottle at an apartment complex in Campbell Parade, Bondi.

That resulted in Cooper being charged with common assault the following day when he was also slapped with another interim AVO. 

Cooper did not appear in Waverley Local Court on December 12 over the assault charge but pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned for hearing on May 19. 

Magistrate Miranda Moody heard Cooper was not present because he had returned to the Myocum home he shared with Adams.

A week later, Cooper was arrested again and faced court on December 21 charged with contravening an AVO and another count of domestic violence-related common assault. 

Those matters were adjourned to January 20 after he was granted bail in Parramatta Local Court. 

On the same day, Cooper was given permission to recover property from a place where Adams was living, if in the company of police. 

He was not permitted to enter Myocum but had to report to Byron Bay police station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Cooper is facing two charges of common assault and one of contravening an apprehended violence order. He is pictured with his wife

Adams was made the subject of a two-year restraining order in August which prevents her from assaulting, intimidating, threatening, harassing or stalking her husband. The couple is pictured

Next, Cooper was arrested on December 27 at Myocum and spent another night in the cells.

He faced Parramatta Local Court via audio-visual link the following day accused of breaching his bail but was set free once more. 

Cooper’s new bail conditions allowed him to collect a vehicle from Byron Bay and then to not go within 200km of the town except to attend court. 

He was ordered to live at an address within the City of Sydney local government area and report three times a week to Kings Cross police station.

An application to vary or revoke the AVO protecting Cooper from Adams is listed for Byron Bay Local Court on January 6. He will face the same court on the latest assault charge on January 20.

Cooper proposed to Adams by hiding an engagement ring in a bowl of caviar during a romantic dinner at Bondi Icebergs.

The couple had been dating for just eight months following the breakdown of Cooper’s tumultuous 25-year relationship with Marsh.

Cooper and Marsh sold their Tamarama home for $11 million in February 2022, having bought the five-bedroom, five-bathroom house for $5.5 million in 2011.

Adams told Daily Mail Australia in September that the shadow of Cooper’s ex-wife Sarah Marsh loomed over their marriage, triggering a meltdown which landed her in court. Cooper is pictured with Marsh

Cooper was arrested on December 27 at the multimillion-dollar mansion (above) he shared until recently with Adams at Myocum, near Byron Bay on the NSW north coast

The next month they paid $5.09 million for the Myocum property, a five-bedroom, six-bathroom estate with a tennis court, resort-style swimming pool and landscaped gardens.

Cooper was arrested at the Myocum house in May 2022 and charged with two counts of domestic violence-related common assault upon Marsh. 

The charges come barely 12 months after Cooper furiously denied he and Marsh had ended their marriage. 

Cooper, who has two children with Marsh, told Daily Mail Australia at the time a story the pair had split was ‘completely fabricated’.

The assault charges, stemming from alleged incidents at Tamarama in December 2015 and May 2016, were dismissed by a magistrate in August last year. 

An application for an AVO to protect Marsh from Cooper was also dismissed.  

Cooper was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond in December 2008 after pleading guilty to assaulting Marsh just days after she had cancer surgery.

The assault occurred when Marsh tried to demonstrate to Cooper how she alleged he had pushed her while on holiday at Port Douglas in far north Queensland. 

Charges of assault causing bodily harm and stalking and intimidation arising from the same events were withdrawn at Waverley Local Court.

British-born Cooper grew up in London’s East End and moved to Australia in 1985, studying fashion design at East Sydney Technical College.

He started the labels BRAVE, WAYNE COOPER and WAYNE. His clothes were once sold at two boutiques in Melbourne and are now available at Myer department stores.

Cooper’s Australian Fashion Week shows have featured models including Linda Evangelista, Eva Herzigova and Sarah O’Hare (now Murdoch) and he was a regular guest on the reality TV series Australia’s Next Top Model.