A man accused of a violent sexual assault in a five-star Sydney hotel plans to fight the charges after being released from jail.
Joel Nathan Fitzpatrick Burtt, 21, faced court on Thursday after being granted bail by the Supreme Court in June.
He had been in custody since handing himself in to police in November, when he was charged with offences including aggravated sexual assault.
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Negotiations are continuing with prosecutors in an attempt to resolve one charge, but Fitzpatrick Burtt is preparing to face trial to defend against others, his lawyer Daniel Wakim told Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court.
His case has been adjourned until July 20 however Fitzpatrick Burtt has been given permission to appear via videolink from northern NSW, where he lives near Byron Bay, and is only permitted to travel to Sydney if he’s attending court in person.
“Flights are constantly delayed,” Wakim said, noting his client would not have made it to court in time.
Police allege Fitzpatrick Burtt sexually assaulted a woman in The Star Grand Hotel at Pyrmont in October causing actual bodily harm, assaulting the woman and choking her without consent.
“All sexual assault charges are being defended, my client maintains his pleas of not guilty in that regard and his innocence,” Wakim told AAP in a statement.