A Sydney banker accused of attempting to murder his boyfriend with a heated saucepan inside an upscale French hotel was previously involved in a brief romance with former Kyle & Jackie O Show personality “Intern Pete”.
David Cao, 37, is alleged to have struck his Australian partner, entrepreneur Callum Forbes, on the head with a kitchen pan before pouring boiling water over him during a late-night incident at the Château de Perreux boutique hotel in central France on July 28.
The pair had reportedly paid about $500 for a night in the hotel’s “caves room” and were due to travel to Amsterdam the next day for the World Gay Pride festival.
Guests and hotel employees are said to have heard screams coming from the room. Staff later found Mr Forbes alone inside, critically injured.
Cao allegedly left the hotel in a rental car and was arrested around 36 hours later in Lille, nearly 500km north of the property.
He was taken into custody near the Belgian border and has since been charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, theft, torture, and acts of barbarity.
The Daily Mail can now reveal that Cao once dated prominent radio producer and on-air figure “Intern” Pete Deppeler in 2020.
Sources told the Mail the relationship lasted only a few months and ended badly.
Pictured: Former Kyle & Jackie O show star ‘Intern’ Pete Deppeler (left) with David Cao (right) at a production of Frozen in 2020
Callum Forbes, a Sydney-based entrepreneur, was allegedly struck on the head with a kitchen pan and assaulted with boiling water
Cao allegedly attacked Mr Forbes inside one of the ‘cave rooms’ (pictured) at the Château de Perreux boutique hotel, in the Nazelles-Négron area of central France, on July 28
Deppeler declined to comment when contacted by the Mail.
Those who knew Cao have described him to the Mail as ‘highly strung’.
A former colleague from the Bank of Queensland said he was ‘annoying’ to work with, and had an ‘inflated opinion of himself’.
‘He wasn’t an executive, he liked to think he was,’ they said.
Cao often boasted about his professional achievements on LinkedIn, where he shared photographs of himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Westpac CEO Anthony Miller and chief executive Carolyn McCann.
According to his profile, he spent four months as the head of retail value creation at ING Australia, until he was fired in the aftermath of the alleged attempted murder.
He worked at Westpac between 2016 and 2020, and then again between 2024 and 2026. He was a consultant, business manager, head of strategy, executive manager, and head of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Cao also worked as chief business development officer and chief of staff to the CEO at the Bank of Queensland, a strategy manager at the Commonwealth Bank, and an analyst at the prestigious Goldman Sachs.
David Cao is pictured in San Francisco in 2020. In July, he allegedly tried to kill his boyfriend
Deppeler and Cao (pictured together) had a brief relationship in 2020
David Cao is pictured, right, working as the MC for a Westpac event, with CEO Anthony Miller (centre) and chief executive Carolyn McCann
David Cao is pictured, centre, with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (second left)
Earlier this year, he became a board member of Rainbow Giving Australia – an LGBTQI organisation that secures funding for the community.
According to his Rainbow Giving Australia bio, Cao ‘drove enterprise, systemic change to build a culture of inclusion (and) increase diverse representation at all levels,’ during his time at Westpac.
He also claimed to ‘foster an environment where all employees feel safe, valued, and belong’.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to Cao’s partner, who is recovering in hospital.
Cao reportedly hopes to return to Australia in the next two weeks and will be held in custody while awaiting trial.
Australia has an extradition treaty with France, which means Cao could be extradited home if he meets certain requirements.
The alleged crime must be considered an offence in both countries, Australian officials must submit a formal request for extradition, and French courts must approve the request.
