Tao Lu: Unemployed banker assaults housemate in fight over Covid share house rules

A banker who lost his job during the pandemic has appeared in court after he slapped his housemate after being yelled at for eating lunch in a shared space while infected with Covid.

A lunch meal descended into violence when a down on his luck banker attacked his housemate while infectious with Covid.

Tao Lu, 40, was sentenced for domestic violence-related assault at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.

According to facts tendered to court Lu, a financial services professional, was forced into shared living arrangements when he lost his job at the start of the pandemic.

Lu was living in a three-bedroom apartment in Bondi Junction when he caught Covid on July 18. He did not previously know the female victim before he moved in, the facts state.

About 3pm on the next day, still suffering from Covid, Lu left his room to have a late lunch.

Tao Lu outside Waverley Local Court.

The facts state Lu checked the woman he lived with was not in the kitchen before he made his meal. Afterwards, when he was washing up his cutlery, the woman came out and questioned why he was not in his room.

Lu told the woman he ate lunch in the kitchen as it was empty and his room was “too small” to be a comfortable place to eat.

Court documents state this enraged the woman, who replied “Just f***ing do it!” and walked away.

At this point – as Lu was walking back to his room – the woman turned around, came close to him and told him; “I don’t f***ing care” according to court documents.

Using an open hand Lu pushed the woman in response, making contact with the right side of her face, according to the facts.

The woman then called the police, who arrested Lu and took him to Waverley Police Station.

Lu (left) leaves court on Tuesday.

Court documents state Lu gave police his own version of the altercation, claiming the woman opened his bedroom door and attempted to come in, leading him to grab her by the collar and drag her away.

Magistrate Hudson told the court he recognised the mental and emotional strain two years of unemployment had had, particularly as a highly educated professional who had “never been a person who couldn’t get work” in the past.

Lu’s work as a banker had previously taken him to London and Hong Kong, the court heard.

Magistrate Hudson told Lu while he recognised he had had a difficult two years, he must take responsibility for his actions.

“Just remember there are seriously two things that you can control; what we physically do and what we mentally can control,” he told the court.

Magistrate Hudson did not convict Lu but sentenced him to a 12 month conditional release order and an 18-month apprehended violence order against the assault victim.