Bondi Rescue lifeguard reveals next move after domestic violence assault on woman
A lifeguard who stars on the hit reality TV series Bondi Rescue is appealing his sentence for putting his hands around a woman’s neck and pushing her “in a fit of alcoholic rage”.
Andrew Brian Reid, known on the show as Reidy, was found guilty of domestic violence common assault in December last year after a hearing in Hornsby Local Court.
The court was told he got into a heated argument with the woman on an evening in January 2024 before he put his hands on her neck and pushed for up to five seconds.
Reid later confided in a counsellor that “in a fit of alcoholic rage, he flung his hands around (the woman’s) neck”, according to her notes.
Camera IconBondi Rescue lifeguard Andrew ‘Reidy’ was last year found guilty of assaulting a woman. Credit: News Regional Media
Camera IconHe avoided conviction and was sentenced to a year-long good behaviour bond. Credit: News Regional Media
The counsellor recorded the lifeguard had told her “that’s not the kind of man I am” while visibly upset during their session.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss determined the conversation amounted to a “fairly clear admission of assault” followed by recognition that Reid had acted inappropriately.
He noted the assault was preceded by a “high level of jealousy and suspicion”, which was often the case before a domestic violence incident.
“You lost control in these circumstances,” Mr Reiss told the Bondi Rescue lifeguard.
Reid’s barrister Margaret Cunneen SC took issue with the counsellor’s notes, arguing their accuracy was undermined by the fact they had been written after the session instead of contemporaneously.
Yet the police prosecutor maintained the notes had been taken “very shortly after the session” and aligned with the evidence from the complainant.
Camera IconReid is now appealing the sentence. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia
He said Reid’s “admission” to the offences had been given to the counsellor “without any form of inducement” which showed it was “an honest retelling of what’s actually occurred”.
During the hearing, Reid told the court the woman had rushed at him to reclaim a phone he had taken from her and he had “guided” her towards a bed with a hand on her neck.
The police prosecutor contended his scenario was not credible and should not be accepted over the reliable evidence of the victim.
Reid avoided conviction for the assault and was instead ordered to comply with a 12-month good behaviour bond.
He has since launched an appeal against the sentence, which is due to be mentioned in the NSW District Court in February.
During the Local Court hearing, Reid also faced allegations he had bitten the woman’s arm and thrown a phone at her with such force that it required surgical glue to heal.
The court was told he and the woman had been “wrestling” when he allegedly deliberately bit her upper arm, leaving teeth marks.
Camera IconThe appeal is due to be mentioned in the NSW District Court in February. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia
In the second alleged incident, Mr Reid allegedly threw a phone at the woman and it struck her in the leg, leaving a “nasty gash” bleeding on her shin.
Mr Reiss dismissed the two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he could not be satisfied the evidence proved the acts were deliberate.
Reid had several witnesses to attest to his character in court, including former Bondi Rescue co-star Quinn Darragh and former Home and Away star/current Bondi Rescue lifeguard Ryan Clark.
Mr Clark has previously been a White Ribbon ambassador for the prevention of violence against women, and told the court he is “still an advocate for women’s rights”.
Both men said they did not believe an audio recording of a confrontation between Reid and the woman amounted to domestic violence.
In the recording, Reid can be heard telling the woman: “Get out until you f***ing apologise, seriously, I’ll drag you out until you apologise.”
Camera IconFormer Home and Away star Ryan Clark was a character witness for Reid. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia
Mr Reiss opined the audio recording “doesn’t fit with the picture being painted by the accused himself and his witnesses of Mr Reid being ideal in all circumstances”.
“Clearly in the audio, he was very angry, very upset … He clearly lost control and he was being very abusive towards the complainant,” he said.
“(It’s) really inappropriate and appalling behaviour which doesn’t seem to bother his friends at all.”
Reid will remain subject to a two-year apprehended violence order taken out by police to protect the woman.
Professional lifeguards at Bondi Beach are employed by Waverley Council, which would not confirm whether Reid is still employed.
“Waverley Council does not confirm names of people who work at Council or comment on staff matters,” a council spokesperson said.
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