Callum Forbes has spoken out about the alleged boiling-water attack, sharing graphic photos of his burns and describing the moment he realized he was not dreaming.
Forbes, a Sydney entrepreneur, suffered second-degree burns to his face requiring stitches, burns to his torso and arms, and a burst eardrum after his then-boyfriend David Cao, 37, allegedly poured a saucepan of hot water over him and struck him with the pan while he slept at the $500-a-night Château de Perreux in France’s Loire Valley on July 28. The couple had checked into the boutique hotel’s “cave rooms,” carved into a cliff adjacent to the property, for a single night during a European holiday planned to end at World Pride Amsterdam.
Forbes told The Daily Telegraph he and Cao had discussed separating shortly before the attack. They had enjoyed dinner and the spa before retiring, and Forbes was caught completely off-guard while fast asleep.
“Strangely I kept sleeping but I was burned, badly burned,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“I still thought I was in a nightmare until I looked down and saw blood everywhere on the floor – it was like a murder scene. I started screaming for help.”
Guests and staff reported screams from the room. Hotel staff found Forbes, who was later taken for medical treatment. He is now receiving consular assistance from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, a spokesman confirmed.
Cao, then employed by ING as head of retail value creation, allegedly fled the scene and triggered a 36-hour manhunt. French authorities arrested him 500km away at the Belgian border. He had allegedly driven a rental car three hours north to Rouen, boarded a train to Paris, then traveled to Lille near the Belgian border where police detained him as he disembarked.
He was charged with attempted murder and remains in custody awaiting trial. French newspaper Ouest France reports additional charges including kidnapping, theft, torture and acts of barbarity. La Nouvelle Republique, citing a source close to the investigation, reported Cao admitted to the attack but denied intending to kill his partner.
ING confirmed Cao is no longer employed by the bank. “We are aware of allegations involving a former employee,” an ING spokesman said.
The case has drawn additional media attention in Australia through an unexpected connection to popular radio program The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Cao was previously in a relationship with Peter Deppeler, known on-air as “Intern Pete,” a former regular on the Sydney-based KIIS FM program. Radio host Kyle Sandilands addressed the connection on air, expressing shock at the revelation.
Deppeler and Cao’s past relationship was characterized in media reports as a whirlwind romance. The timing and duration of that relationship were not detailed in available coverage.
Forbes’s decision to share photographs of his injuries has brought visual weight to his account, showing the extent of the burns to his face and body. The images accompany his description of waking to a scene he initially could not comprehend as real.
DFAT indicated it was also attempting to contact the detained Australian to offer consular support, stating: “Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
The Château de Perreux, where the alleged attack occurred, markets itself as a luxury boutique property in the Nazelles-Négron area of central France. The “cave rooms” offer accommodation built into the cliff face, a feature that became part of the incident’s coverage given the confined setting of the alleged assault.
In the viral moment that brought international attention to the case, Forbes’s description of believing himself trapped in a nightmare until seeing blood on the floor crystallized the disorienting violence of the alleged attack. The photographs he shared subsequently traveled across news outlets, making visible injuries that he said required stitches and ongoing treatment. The contrast between the couple’s reported pleasant evening and the events that followed, and between the planned celebratory conclusion of their trip at World Pride and the criminal charges now faced by Cao, framed much of the initial reporting.
Cao’s trial proceedings are pending in the French legal system, with the multiple charges against him including the most serious count of attempted murder.