'Group sex talk, a lust for married men and cancer': Blow-by-blow, read the astonishing accusations Mark Latham is making about his ex in court
In a sworn affidavit, filed in local court as part of restraining order proceedings Nathalie Matthews is bringing against Latham, the politician also claims Ms Matthews told him in a conversation in London in June 2023 that she had an interest in group sex and had a 'fetish' for married men.
'In f***ng me, it shows how much they value it, risking their marriage,' she told him, Latham alleges in his affidavit.
During that same alleged conversation, held during a six-week trip to London, he also learned Ms Matthews ran an OnlyFans account under the name 'BondiC**S**t', Latham claimed in the court document.
Latham, who had recently left a 22-year marriage, said in the affidavit that the conversation in London was 'a lot to take in', adding it was 'wild and beyond my experience in life'.
That night, Latham decided to pursue what he called a 'situationship' with Ms Matthews because, he said, he wanted to embrace a 'modern approach of not being judgmental about a woman's morality' and to 'enjoy' himself before he passed away.
'At my age (62 when we met on 3 March 2023) my father had already dropped dead, and if that was going to happen to me one day, at least I was going to enjoy myself beforehand,' he wrote.
'So, I decided to see how it went for those six weeks, if our time together was compatible and happy, comforted by the fact that Nathalie spent a lot of time in Dubai, meaning if I needed a break from her intensity, I had that back in Sydney.
'I saw 90 per cent benefit in our situation and ten per cent downside. 90 beat ten, as I rationalised it at 3-4am in Putney that night and eventually fell asleep.'
Elsewhere in the affidavit, Latham accused Ms Matthews of telling people her ex-husband had died of bowel cancer despite being alive to this day.
'When she went to Dubai in 2022, following a break in her time with (her husband), she told people there her husband had died of bowel cancer and she was in Dubai as a grieving widow,' he wrote.
Ms Matthew's ex-husband, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail he was not aware of the alleged claims, and that he had never suffered from bowel cancer. Ms Matthews declined to comment.
The affidavit was filed on July 31 in response to Ms Matthews' AVO application with the NSW Local Court.
Ms Matthews, 37, alleged that Latham, 64, inflicted 'a sustained pattern' of psychological, financial and emotional abuse against her for almost three years.
The former federal opposition leader has denied all abuse claims made by Ms Matthews, alleging the pair's relationship was consensual.
The relationship, which Latham said was founded on 'sexual pleasure', would devolve within the next nearly two years.
Also in the court document, Latham accused Ms Matthews of planning to meet a senior corporate figure for sex in May 2024.
'She called me on my mobile that day. I remember it well because she rarely called (preferring to message) and the Parliament was sitting.
'I took her call as I was walking down a corridor back towards my office.'
Daily Mail does not suggest Ms Matthews is dishonest nor that Latham's claims are true, simply that they have been made in an affidavit sworn by Latham.
Latham has denied all abuse accusations, claiming that he had 'scores of documents' which would vindicate him, and enjoyed a 'fantastic' sex life with Ms Matthews.
In the affidavit, Mr Latham also rebuffed the idea relationships should be entirely equal, claiming Ms Matthews enjoyed elements of 'consensual subservience'.
'A feature of today's politics is the woke feminist idealisation of the notion of Equality. This is a political theory, popularised by the #MeToo movement, that every aspect of every relationship must have equal power relations and practices.
'But as a colleague said to me last week, "It's not uncommon for relationships to be internally unequal, in fact there are plenty of them in private, it's just the way some people like it by choice".
'Nathalie was one of those people, enjoying elements of consensual subservience.'
Ms Matthews describes herself as the managing director of Skynet Global Logistics, a company involved in freight forwarding which has a presence in Sydney, Perth and Dubai.
Latham and Ms Matthews began dating in 2023 and ended their relationship earlier this year.
The matter will return to court next month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Teacher who sent explicit pictures to 15-year-old boy banned for life
A teacher who sent explicit pictures of herself to a 15-year-old pupil has been banned from the profession for life. Georgia Lowe, 27, was caught when 'inappropriate' notes were found by the boy's mother. Her relationship with him began with late-night email sessions using emojis and nicknames, months after she started in the role, a Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) panel heard. When the affair came to light, Ms Lowe was suspended by the school, but she contacted the pupil again, sending him sexual images of herself, the TRA panel was told. After resigning, the teacher was found guilty of engaging in sexual communication with a child and was handed a 14-month suspended jail term, the panel heard. Ms Lowe began working as a trainee teacher at Kingsmead School, Staffordshire, in July 2021. In September that year, when she was 'responsible' for the then 15-year-old, she began emailing him as late as 10pm, the panel was told. Her messages included heart symbol emojis, would often end with a kiss, and used nicknames, the panel heard. Ms Lowe wrote to the pupil using phrases like 'make me proud', 'try not to miss me too much' and 'you've already made my day', the TRA was told. In October 2021, the boy's mother found notes she believed were from Ms Lowe and reported her concerns to the school. An investigation was launched, and Ms Lowe was suspended, the panel heard. Despite having 'a warning shot across her bows', the teacher contacted the boy again, and sent him intimate photos, the TRA was told. Ms Lowe resigned in November 2021 and was charged by the police. She initially denied the charge before changing her plead to guilty on the day of trial, the panel heard. Ms Lowe was sentenced to 14 months jail, suspended for 18 months, and was put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. In his sentencing remarks, the judge said Ms Lowe committed a 'gross breach of trust' and 'used the environment in which you were working with (the pupil) to pursue what was evidently your sexual interest in him'. 'You moved on to the passing of inappropriate notes to him, and ultimately, by the end of the period that we are concerned with, matters escalated to private digital communications between you and him, including you sending him images of yourself in your underwear,' the judge said. 'The concerning aspect of your case is that after matters came to light, by his mother having found out what was going on, you were spoken to, and yet you still had another face-to-face meeting with him at school, and ultimately, when the investigation was launched and you were suspended from work, you contacted him again, and that included the sending of the images of yourself to him. 'That was a warning shot across your bows, the investigation at school, and the suspension, but you did not bring your pursuit of him to an end at that point in time.' On behalf of the Secretary of State, decision maker Marc Cavey said Ms Lowe's behaviour was 'incompatible with working as a teacher'. He decided she should be prohibited from teaching indefinitely.
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Parents of girl who died in hospital say she had a ‘life of joy ahead of her'
The parents of a teenage girl who died after she was left alone in a children's mental health ward by an inexperienced agency worker using fake ID have described their daughter as a 'loving and adventurous girl with a whole life of joy ahead of her'. Ruth Szymankiewicz was being treated for an eating disorder at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire and had been placed under strict one-to-one observation when, on February 12 2022, she was left on her own by the member of staff responsible for watching her. The 14-year-old was able to shut herself in her bedroom at the hospital's psychiatric intensive care unit – also known as Thames ward – where she self-harmed, then died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. On Thursday, an inquest jury sitting at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court in Beaconsfield returned a conclusion of unlawful killing. Ms Szymankiewicz's parents, Mark and Kate Szymankiewicz, said in a statement they read out outside the court following the conclusion: 'Ruth was an incredible, bright, friendly, loving and adventurous girl with a whole life of joy ahead of her. 'She, like many other teenagers, developed an eating disorder. 'When, at our most vulnerable as a family, we reached out for help; we ultimately found ourselves trapped in a system that was meant to care for her, to help her, to keep her safe, but instead locked her away and harmed her. 'The inquest has been a harrowing and traumatic process for us, not just in reliving the awful reality of her neglect, but also bringing to light even more than we had feared at the time.' The agency worker responsible for watching Ms Szymankiewicz – a man then known as Ebo Acheampong – had never worked in a psychiatric hospital environment before coming to Huntercombe on February 12 2022 for his first shift. A police investigation later found he was hired by the Platinum agency – which supplied staff for Huntercombe Hospital – under a false name. Mr Acheampong never returned to work at the hospital following the incident and fled the UK for Ghana. Referring to Mr Acheampong's failure to supervise their daughter on Thames ward, Ms Szymankiewicz's parents said: 'Over the last two weeks, we have heard about the numerous systemic failures at Huntercombe Hospital. It would be easy to be distracted by the failings of one individual. 'However shocking that conduct might have been, it is paramount that the other wider and more important issues are acknowledged and addressed. 'Having been detained in a unit she should never have been sent to, Ruth was repeatedly denied access to the love and support of her family. 'We were excluded and completely disempowered. 'She was isolated, scared and alone. 'There were several important first-line treatments that Ruth desperately needed, but never received. 'She was immersed in a highly chaotic environment and denied the safety and structure she craved. 'She had very limited encouragement to access the education she loved. 'As a child who thrived on her connection with nature, she was essentially caged. 'She withdrew more into herself as she tried to navigate and survive months in a poorly trained, understaffed and unsafe ward. 'She was trapped.' Her parents, who are a consultant surgeon and a GP, added: 'We also heard powerful accounts of the huge ongoing challenges faced nationally across mental health services for children and young people. 'As healthcare professionals we understand the pressures that come with working within the NHS, and particularly so within mental health services. 'We thank all those working so very hard to look after our children and young people, and especially those that met Ruth along her journey and did indeed show much care and kindness. 'You need more resources, more research, more training, more recognition and more support. What you do matters every day and every night.' Her parents said they hope by sharing her story it will 'help inform the change needed in children's mental health services'. They added: 'Ruth was our daughter. An adored sister, cousin, niece, granddaughter and friend. 'But she could just as easily be your child, your niece or nephew, your grandchild. 'One in five children in this country have mental health problems, and if your child is above the age of 10, they are more likely to die from suicide than childhood cancer or accidents. 'That is the shocking, but rarely discussed truth. 'We hope that by sharing her story it can help inform the change needed in children's mental health services. 'We are very aware that a new mental health act is currently going through parliament, with a narrow window of opportunity to address some of these key issues. 'So we ask this, whether you are an MP, a health worker, a teacher, a social worker, an early years worker, a parent, grandparent or friend; whatever role you have in life. 'Remember Ruth's story. Remember her in the faces of the young people who look to you for help and support. 'What happened to Ruth is shocking, tragic and harrowing. 'Whilst there is much more to be said, if change can come from her story, it can make a tangible difference to others.'
Economist
8 minutes ago
- Economist
Fee-asco: why Trump's tariffs have hit South-East Asia so hard
President Trump's sweeping tariffs took effect last week, imposing seemingly arbitrary levies on goods arriving to America from much of the world. They range from 10% on UK-made products to 50% on shipments from Brazil. But one region has been hit particularly hard: South-East Asia. A growing share of US imports are made in the region, which has benefitted from a push by manufacturers to diversify their supply chains away from China. But do Trump's tariffs, and his ill-defined crackdown on 'transshipment', threaten the factory model that has propelled the region's growth? Hosts: Ethan Wu, Alice Fulwood and Mike Bird. Guests: Louise Loo of Oxford Economics; former White House supply-chain expert Peter Harrell; and Malaysia's deputy trade minister Liew Chin Tong.
