Tragic downfall of high-flyer sobs in court accused of ‘degrading’ sex assault

A former high-flying businessman and ex-Big Brother star has sobbed in court as he faced court accused of carrying out a “degrading” sexual assault, telling of the “destruction” of his life and a prior suicide attempt before being refused bail.

Heath Tournier was accused of pushing his victim onto a bed, choking her then telling her he was “going to rape her”. Photo: Supplied.

A former high-flying businessman and ex-Big Brother star has sobbed in court while recounting the “destruction” of his life and a prior suicide attempt before he was refused bail for a “degrading” alleged sexual assault.

Heath Lionel Tournier appeared via video-link in Brisbane Magistrates Court on January 6 where he represented himself on eight charges including one each of sexual assault, common assault, low-level drink driving and driving while his licence was suspended.

Mr Tournier, an electrician, shot to fame in 2005 as an intruder on the set of reality television show Big Brother then went on to build successful construction firms in Western Australia and Victoria, a student accommodation business and a real estate company.

Police prosecutor Val Crossley told the court that the charges were before the court for the first time even though the sexual assault charge dated back to October 2022 because police had been unable to find Mr Tournier.

Mr Tournier was picked up by police on an arrest warrant at 3.30am on Saturday morning while seated in a black Mercedes-Benz with Victorian registration plates parked in the southeast Brisbane suburb of Cleveland, she said.

Heath Tournier returned to his trade as an electrician after being voted out of the Big Brother House in 2005.

He told police he was phoning his partner in a bid to get money to buy fuel to drive to Newcastle.

Sgt Crossley told Acting Magistrate Rob Turra that Mr Tournier was accused of pushing his victim onto a bed, choking her then telling her he was “going to rape her”.

“He lay on top of her and pinned her down, pulling up her top, and began to roughly suck on her left breast,” Sgt Crossley said.

“She pleaded with him to stop. Then he flipped her over on her stomach and pulled down her pants,” she said.

“The victim managed to turn over on her back while the defendant pushed himself on top of her,” she said.

“The victim continued to plead with the defendant to stop, and tried to push him off,” she said.

Mr Tournier allegedly “spat in her face” before getting off her.

The victim reported the alleged sexual assault and common assault to police in Victoria, and they contacted Queensland police, Sgt Crossley said.

Police applied for an arrest warrant after they visited his Queensland home in December and were told that he had “fled to NSW”, Sgt Crossley said.

During the hearing, Mr Tournier broke down in tears while describing his emotional struggle with mental health and tragic setbacks in his life, claiming he is the victim of a fraud and said he had saved his daughter’s life in house fire in 2017.

An Instagram post by former Big Brother star Heath Tournier. Photo: Instagram.

In refusing bail, Mr Turra noted the sexual assault allegation was “particularly serious and degrading” and culminated in spitting in the victim’s face.

He said that Sgt Crossley had submitted that Mr Tournier seems to have “actively avoided his responsibilities” to engage with police “and actively fled” after being wanted.

Mr Tournier contests that he fled, and alleges he was working for several employers, including for law firm Fedorov Family Lawyers at Burleigh Heads.

He told the court he is not a flight risk.

Mr Turra concluded that throughout his submissions to the court Mr Tournier “demonstrated no accountability at all” for his actions.

“He indicated that police were ‘out to get’ him, he engaged in victim blaming and he suggests that he is no risk and in fact he is the one who has been ‘destroyed’ in his words,” Mr Turra said.

“This in itself demonstrates risk of continued offending,” he said.

Mr Tournier was remanded in custody to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Wednesday January 10.