A superyacht worker has admitted to abducting his ex-girlfriend with a weapon and threatening to share an intimate video of her after she broke up with him.
Ethan Davis was arrested in 2023 over his obsessive reaction to the breakdown of his casual relationship with a co-worker in August that year.
The 25-year-old hid near the woman’s car one night as she was leaving work in Sydney and grabbed her, according to the court documents.
She screamed and managed to break free, but he chased her down and covered her mouth as he shoved her into his car.
The crown prosecutor said the “clearly planned” abduction lasted more than 35 minutes and involved the use of a weapon, which Davis wielded to convince his ex to delete “incriminating data” from her phone.
“It was an attempt to cover up previous crimes committed by the offender in circumstances where he clearly didn’t accept that the victim wanted the relationship to end,” the prosecutor said.
Davis was flanked by family members today as he faced the NSW District Court to plead guilty to six offences, including detaining someone with the intention of obtaining an advantage.
He admitted threatening to release an intimate video of the woman after the break-up, intimidating her and using his phone to harass her by calling and messaging incessantly.
“It’s very serious domestic violence offending and it represents a very significant escalation,” the crown prosecutor said when advocating for Davis to be taken into police custody.
However, his barrister David Carroll said it was not a “typical” domestic violence situation because Davis had acted “reprehensibly” out of fear of losing his job.
Carroll disagreed with the prosecutor’s argument Davis would inevitably face prison time for the offences, pointing to his clean record and attempts to rehabilitate himself.
Judge Stephen Hanley said he was “concerned” about the offences but allowed bail to continue before sentencing later in 2025.
Davis and members of his family became aggressive as they left court, shoving and grabbing media while wielding umbrellas.
He was shepherded by his father and sister while his mother called the media pack “vermin”.
The court was told they will provide “powerful” statements about Davis when he returns to court for a sentencing hearing on August 29.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 13 11 14, Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491
