Kerby Craig: UME Burger, Bar Ume chef pleads guilty to assault on girlfriend
One of the leading lights of Sydney’s foodie scene attacked his partner in a jealous rage, pulling her to the ground and holding his forearm against her throat.
Central Sydney
Don't miss out on the headlines from Central Sydney. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A celebrated Sydney chef assaulted his girlfriend in a jealous rage in what a magistrate described as “common … coercive behaviour”.
Kerby Craig, head chef and owner of UME Burger in Barangaroo and Bar Ume in Surry Hills, said he thought his girlfriend was having an affair when he asked to see her phone.
She refused, the Downing Centre Local Court heard.
The 37-year-old then approached her in his lounge room, grabbed both her wrists and pulled her to the ground, before laying his forearm on her throat and demanding her phone.
She still would not give the phone up, and he eventually let her go, the court heard.
The pair attended court together and are “still very much … in love”, Craig’s lawyer said.
The court heard his girlfriend accepted blame for what happened that day, but Magistrate Megan Greenwood said she would not accept that.
“It has nothing to do with her at all. The victim is never to blame in these situations. The perpetrator is to blame,” she said.
Just prior to this incident Craig had taken a knife from the kitchen and entered the bathroom with the apparent intention of harming himself, the court heard.
He did not actually intend to hurt himself, Craig has now admitted.
The prosecutor called it “a form of psychological abuse on the victim”.
There are no charges relating to this earlier incident.
Craig pleaded guilty to a charge of common assault (DV) at the earliest opportunity.
While head chef at Koi Restaurant in Woolwich some years ago, Craig won six Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide hats.
His lawyer argued Craig should not be convicted as he would be unable to continue to hold the liquor licence for his restaurant or teach underprivileged school-aged children to cook.
Magistrate Greenwood said there was a real prospect for further conflict in the relationship.
He was convicted, sentenced to a Community Corrections Order for two years with supervision, and ordered to enter into an Apprehended Violence Order to protect the woman from possible future harm.
He has since lodged an appeal in the District Court, which is set for hearing on March 4 next year.
Massive scorelines, tries galore! Super Rugby U16s, U19s stars, wrap
There was a comeback, great kicking, explosions of speed and crucial results racked up in round three of the Super Rugby U16s and U19s series. Rd 3 wrap, great photos, standouts and scorers
Why famed venue’s beer garden plan has NIMBYs whingeing
Inner city NIMBYs are on the warpath over a Sydney hotel’s $1m expansion plans, claiming the prominent pub’s proposed outdoor beer garden would wreck the area’s “village” vibe.