A lawyer has been accused of assaulting and injuring his former girlfriend, champion triathlete Amelia Watkinson.
Kris Anthony Dender, 37, appeared before a registrar at Hastings District Court yesterday and denied charges of assault and of injuring with the intent to injure.
An order suppressing his name has been lifted.
Dender is accused of injuring Ms Watkinson, 24, at Havelock North on April 28. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Dender, who joined Hastings law firm Holderness Mansfield last year, is a "keen swimmer and triathlete". He previously worked in sales and as a swim coach in Auckland.
Ms Watkinson won the Pattaya Triathlon in Thailand on Saturday and also took the top spot at a National Championship event, the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman, in January.
Dender elected a judge alone trial and was remanded on bail to a date set down next month for a case review hearing, when he will return to court.
