Love Island star accused of sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend in front of child

Metro

6 hours ago

*Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of alleged sexual assault*.
A star of Love Island has been accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in front of the former couple's one-year-old child.
Cashel Barnett, 34, appeared in the first edition of Love Island USA and was dumped on Day 20, ultimately finishing the competition in 17th place.
Barnett was arrested in May in the US state of Utah on charges relating to assault, aggravated assault, and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
The former Love Island USA contestant has denied all allegations and charges through his attorney, who has also requested that Barnett's privacy is respected.
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He was originally arrested in May, when Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Ronda Woolson sought a no-bail warrant against him.
Outlets in America have reported that the former The Challenge: USA star has not been granted bail since his arrest, with the alleged victim reportedly fearful for her safety.
In legal documents obtained by TMZ, it's been revealed that the alleged victim is Barnett's former girlfriend and the mother to his one-year-old child.
She has not yet been named, but authorities in have said that she filed a police report on April 25, 2025 about an incident that had occurred earlier that month.
In the legal papers, the alleged victim claims that the couple were arguing when she told him to 'get a job'. She attempted to calm Barnett down by hugging him.
At this point, it's reported, Barnett slapped her arms away before following her into a bedroom and picking her up by the neck with both of his hands.
It's then alleged that, immediately afterwards, Barnett slammed her down onto the bed and proceeded to choke her, 'sit her up and slap across the face her really hard' while repeating the phrase, 'You're okay'.
According to documents seen by The Mail, another incident allegedly involved Barnett grabbing his partner from behind and knocking her out after shoving her head against a sofa.
He's also accused of sexually assaulting her while she was unable to breathe and lost consciousness temporarily.
The documents also state that the alleged incident is claimed to have taken place in front of the couple's one-year-old child, who, it says, became distressed by the incident.
Other incidents are also claimed to have taken place between November and December 2024, with the alleged victim reporting cognitive impairment issues and physical injuries to her neck.
Barnett's attorney, Andrew K. Deesing, told Entertainment Weekly in May that his client was willingly cooperating with the authorities during their investigation into the case.
'Upon finding out about the arrest warrant, Mr. Barnett immediately retained counsel and then surrendered on the arrest warrant in Utah's Third District Court first thing.' More Trending
In another statement to People, Mr. Deesing said: 'Mr Barnett is presumed innocent, strongly denies any wrongdoing, and looks forward to his day in court.'
He told TMZ: 'Mr Barnett maintains his innocence and denies any wrongdoing. My client and his family are enduring an incredibly difficult time, and we hope that his privacy will be respected as we work diligently to defend his name and reputation.'
Barnett competed on the inaugural season of Love Island USA in 2019, following its runaway success in the UK – the series was eventually won by Caleb Corpew and Justine Ndiba.
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He then appeared on another game show, The Challenge: USA, which pits former reality TV contestants against one another across various daily tasks.
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