Bachelor In Paradise defend casting Blake Colman who attacked a man in 2015

WARNER Bros, the production company behind Bachelor In Paradise, has defended casting Blake Colmanin the show, despite him pleading guilty to a horrific assault on a stranger.

WARNER Bros, the production company behind Bachelor In Paradise, has defended casting Blake Colmanin the show, despite him pleading guilty to a horrific assault on a stranger.

West Australian financial controller Tristan Cooper, 31, was attacked by Colman during a night out in August 2015 after Cooper tried to defuse an argument between two groups of men, one of whom was the future reality star.

CCTV footage of the incident showed that Colman attacked from behind as Cooper was walking away from the confrontation, which took place outside a Hungry Jack’s restaurant in Perth.

Blake Colman pleaded guilty to attacking a man in Perth. He was fined and ordered to pay compensation to the victim. Picture: Channel Ten

Perth financial controller Tristan Cooper was the victim. Picture: Richard Hatherly

Colman was only identified when Crime Stoppers released a photo of him. Almost two years later, he pleaded guilty and was given a fine and ordered to pay compensation of $850 to Cooper, who received a wound in the back of his head that required four staples.

A Warner Bros representative told Confidential the company stood by their decision to include Colman, who rose to fame on Sophie Monk’s season of The Bachelorette last year.

“Background checks, including police checks, are done on all contestants in reality shows, and these checks are conducted by the relevant production company,” the representative said.

“In Blake’s case, his police check was clear.”

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He was on last year’s season of The Bachelorette. Picture: Channel Ten

On Monday’s episode, he took Laurina Fleure on a date. Picture: Channel Ten

Viewers took to social media to express their disgust over Colman’s inclusion in the show after its first two episodes aired on Sunday and Monday.

“Anyone else feeling weird about watching Bachelor In Paradise and just overlooking the fact that Blake Colman has a history of violence and shouldn’t be anywhere near a dating show?” one fan said.

Another added sarcastically: “Yes, always good to have a bloke convicted of assault put forward as a romantic prospect.”

Colman went on a date with Laurina Fleure during Monday night’s episode.