Pregnant wife says allegations were a lie

A PREGNANT woman who had her husband arrested on assault charges has told the court she made false accusations against him because she was angry and emotionally unstable as a result of the pregnancy.

The hearing of Gaurav Endlay, 40, of Chudleigh, continued in Launceston yesterday before Magistrate Simon Brown. Mr Endlay has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault and one count of emotional abuse.

He was accused of assaulting Parul Bhatt by spitting on her, slapping her, sitting on her stomach, pulling her hair, twisting her arms, strangling her and punching her in the face.

The court previously heard Ms Bhatt was taken to Deloraine Police Station by AnneMargaret Cann to file a report against Mr Endlay on October 1.

Ms Cann gave evidence in the hearing last week and said she had found Ms Bhatt sitting on her front step one morning looking “deflated”, “beaten” and “skinny”.

Ms Bhatt told the court yesterday there was never any physical abuse and no injuries. She said she made the allegations “in the heat of anger” when she was not in a “stable state of mind”.

Ms Bhatt moved to Tasmania after her arranged marriage to Mr Endlay in India in November last year.

A prosecutor suggested Ms Bhatt may have changed her story because she was reliant on her husband for financial support, because of the status of her visa or because she was coerced by her husband’s father. The hearing continues.