An Australian property manager accused of the attempted murder of his Russian wife led an idyllic and extravagant life until a drunken night in France.
Melbourne-born Damien Carew, 43, met Anna Polianskaya-Carew, 33, who had grown up in Monaco, on a beach in Greece when she was a teenager.
The jet-setter couple was engaged in 2011 and married two years later on the French Riviera at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
The couple had previously lived in Dubai for years, where they owned a “giant” waterfront home on the famed Palm Islands development and ran a handful of businesses in real estate, diamonds and hospitality.
But now French authorities have confirmed that real estate entrepreneur Carew has been charged with the attempted murder of the mother of his two children, after Ms Polianskaya-Carew was rushed to hospital and slipped into a coma following an alleged attack in April. The Herald Sun reports.
Melbourne’s Damien Carew is charged with the attempted murder of his wife Anna Polianskaya-Carew (pictured together) and large sums of money laundering
Damien Carew, 43, called emergency services after an incident involving his wife, local media reported. She was in a coma, but recovered well and was released from the hospital
Shocked friends have described the couple as “lovely” and “down-to-earth”, but it seems their perfect lives began to unravel after Mr Carew was found injured and drunk on a Parisian street in late 2021 by French firefighters known as pompiers.
Police allege that when firefighters attended the drunk man, they found nearly $200,000, the equivalent of $335,000 in cash, in his very ordinary-looking bag.
A source with knowledge of the investigation said police reportedly found another €160,000 ($27,000) in cash after searching the north Paris apartment where he was staying, the Herald Sun reported. .
The source said police alleged that Mr Carew handled around €4 million ($6.7 million) through his accounts or in cash.
He was eventually charged with aggravated money laundering and conspiracy to commit a crime punishable by 10 years in prison.
Carew, who attended Melbourne’s prestigious St. Kevin’s College, spent the entire year 2022 in a Paris prison before being released in January under “judicial control,” where he was monitored with an ankle bracelet.
Daily Mail Australia understands that Carew has been struggling since he was released from prison and returned to live with Ms Polianskaya-Carew at their home in La Turbie, a village on the outskirts of Monaco.
The couple and their two children lived in a rented villa in La Turbie (above), near the prosperous city-state of Monaco
A friend of the couple said Carew had been struggling since being released from prison in January and Russian-born Ms Polianskaya-Carew (above) had said in recent months that she was suicidal
Ms. Polianskaya-Carew worked as a brand manager for Ibrahim Zein jewelry at the Stardust boutique in Monaco’s Hotel de Paris, according to her Linkedin profile.
She has since woken up from her coma following the alleged attack by Mr Carew in April.
Her younger sister, who works at a hotel near Antibes, an hour west of Monaco, told the paper that their mother is looking after Ms Polianskaya-Carew and the couple’s children.
“She wasn’t doing very well and she’s still a little bit fragile, but she’s getting back to life,” she said.
A friend said Mr Carew and Ms Polianskaya-Carew moved permanently to Monaco in late 2014 to settle down after previously enjoying the trappings of Dubai.
“They lived the good life,” said the friend. ‘They lived in a gigantic villa on the Palm Islands.
Damien Carew and Anna Polianskaya-Carew lived for several years in the United Arab Emirates, where they owned a “giant” home on the exclusive Palm Islands (above)
“They were a very good looking couple, as you can see. They clearly had a very flashy life. They live in Monaco, they’ve been to Dubai.’
While in the UAE, Ms. Polianskaya-Carew worked for US commercial real estate company Jones Lang LaSalle and her husband was involved in both real estate and diamond trading.
After moving to Monaco, where Mrs. Polianskaya-Carew’s mother lives, the couple had a daughter, and then a son.
The friend was stunned to learn that Carew had been arrested because of what happened to his wife.
“I was floored,” the friend said. ‘I could not believe it.
“They are the most generous of people, quite headstrong, but really down to earth. They are just so nice. It’s just so sad. My heart breaks for the children.’
The pair previously worked in real estate, hospitality and diamonds. It is clear that their business in Monaco has been liquidated since Mr Carew’s arrest
Neighbors said they had heard nothing on the day of the alleged incident, but confirmed that police had visited the home.
Local news site Monaco-Matin reported that Carew was represented by a Paris lawyer when he appeared before a judge in April who ordered his detention.
Prosecutors have since charged Mr Carew with aggravated attempted murder and willful assault against a spouse.
Investigators and prosecutors from Junalco, an elite French agency, also continue to build a case on the money laundering allegations.