Australian banker charged with attempted murder after luxury hotel attack on boyfriend

The alleged attack took place on July 28 at the Château de Perreux, a boutique hotel in France where rooms cost approximately $500 per night. Callum Forbes, an entrepreneur, and David Cao, a 37-year-old Australian banking professional, had been in a relationship and were staying at the hotel together. Earlier that day, the two men had a civil conversation during which Forbes raised the possibility of separating. Despite this discussion, Forbes believed they had reached an understanding and the evening proceeded normally with dinner and time spent in the hotel spa before they retired to bed.

While Forbes was sleeping, he was suddenly awakened by blows to the side of his head and discovered blood everywhere on the floor. He sustained severe burns from scalding water and was struck with a saucepan, resulting in significant facial injuries that required stitches. Photographs from his hospital bed showed Forbes with his face badly swollen and wrapped in bandages, rendering him nearly unrecognizable. Forbes later described the experience as a nightmare, noting the disorienting nature of being attacked while asleep and the initial difficulty in comprehending what was happening.

Following the alleged assault, Cao fled the scene in a rental car. Forbes was unable to contact his mother for 36 hours because Cao had taken his phone, iPad, and passport. Forbes' mother eventually traveled to France and remained by his side during his hospital recovery. Cao was arrested approximately 36 hours after the incident near the Belgian border. French authorities subsequently charged him with attempted murder, and he was placed on remand in a French prison. Forbes expressed concern that he might be permanently disfigured and planned to consult specialists in Sydney upon his return to determine whether skin grafts would be necessary, though French doctors indicated the scarring might heal adequately.

Cao's professional background includes positions at several prominent Australian financial institutions. He spent four months as head of retail value creation at ING Australia before being dismissed following the alleged attempted murder. His career also included two stints at Westpac, from 2016 to 2020 and again from 2024 to 2026, where he held roles such as consultant, business manager, head of strategy, executive manager, and head of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, Cao worked as chief business development officer and chief of staff to the CEO at the Bank of Queensland, as a strategy manager at the Commonwealth Bank, and as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. On LinkedIn, Cao frequently shared photographs of himself with prominent business figures including former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Westpac CEO Anthony Miller, and chief executive Carolyn McCann. However, a former colleague from the Bank of Queensland described him as highly strung and annoying to work with, possessing an inflated opinion of himself and noting that he was not actually an executive despite presenting himself as one.