August 13, 2026 — 11:59amA Sydney banker allegedly tried to kill his Australian partner with a saucepan and boiling water in a luxury French hotel before being arrested 36 hours later trying to flee the country.David Cao, 37, was detained at the Belgian border by French authorities after a manhunt sparked by the alleged attack at the Château de Perreux boutique hotel in the Nazelles-Négron area of central France on July 28.Cao is behind bars in France, weeks after leaving Sydney for a European holiday with his partner.LinkedInCao is alleged to have hit his partner on the head with a hot saucepan and poured boiling water over his body in a violent late night incident. French media have reported the couple checked into the hotel for one night as part of a European holiday, which was to culminate in their attendance at World Pride Amsterdam.The couple were reportedly staying in one of the ‘cave rooms’ which had been carved into the cliff adjacent to the hotel.Guests and staff recalled screams from the room, and Cao’s partner was found critically injured and alone by hotel staff.Cao – who worked at ING at the time of the alleged incident – was arrested almost 500 kilometres north of the hotel in the French city of Lille.The Château de Perraux, where the alleged attack occurred. iStockAuthorities allege he fled the hotel in a rental car, travelling to Rouen before boarding a train to Paris and onto Lille near the Belgian border. He was detained after disembarking the train.Cao was charged with attempted murder and held in custody while he awaits trial. French newspaper Ouest France reported additional charges of kidnapping, theft, torture, and acts of barbarity. Local publication La Nouvelle Republique reported that Cao admitted to the attack but not intending to kill his partner, citing a source close to the investigation.The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to Cao’s partner, who continues to recover in hospital. Gay Sydney Daily reported he hopes to return to Australia in the next two weeks.Cao had worked as the head of retail value creation at ING in Sydney since May, after serving as Westpac’s head of diversity, equity and inclusion for almost 18 months. He had been on leave from work for several weeks at the time of the incident. ING confirmed to the Herald on Thursday that he no longer worked for the bank.The 37-year-old has also been on the board of LGBTQIA+ Rainbow Giving Australia Foundation since January. The organisation has been contacted for comment.Cao served as president of the University of Sydney’s Business School Society, according to his LinkedIn, after graduating from Sydney Boys High School with a 99.8 UAI.DFAT was also working to contact Cao.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners