Laurence Escalante: Nine new drug charges laid against Perth billionaire accused of terrorising ex-girlfriend

Perth billionaire Laurence Escalante has been hit with a raft of new criminal charges as his minder clashed with media outside court in dramatic scenes. The 44-year-old businessman faced Perth Magistrates Court for the second time on Thursday, when nine new charges emerged. He is now facing six fresh counts of unlawfully possessing a controlled or prescription drug and three new counts of possessing a prohibited drug. That brings his total number of charges to 17. His original eight charges were aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm, criminal damage, aggravated home burglary, stealing, three counts of possessing drugs in trafficable quantities and persistently engaging in family violence. Outside court, his personal security guard pushed past a cameraman then engaged in a shoving match with him. The minder managed to maintain an umbrella above his employer’s head throughout. Mr Escalante raised his eyebrows as the drama unfolded before being whisked into a waiting car without speaking to reporters. He wore a short ponytail and spectacles while his high-profile counsel, former District Court judge Simon Freitag, successfully secured all that he sought, with the police prosecutor offering no opposition. Mr Escalante had his bail relaxed, allowing him to drop off friends at the airport and visit Fremantle. He is even allowed to use his aircraft, his amended suppression order revealed. His bail no longer prohibits him from being within 500m of an international point of departure, with the conditions saying he merely must not approach an international departure building. Mr Freitag said there were concerns his client could inadvertently breach the original condition by driving near the airport, for example. Magistrate Belinda Coleman noted the original condition would also have prevented Mr Escalante from going to the port city. Mr Escalante’s suppression order prohibits the publishing of details enabling the identification of his whereabouts, or that of his four children, amid fears he will be targeted or even abducted due to his vast fortune. He is estimated to have amassed $4.5 billion and had previously been targeted overseas, Mr Freitag told the court at his first appearance on January 30, after his client spent a night behind bars. The suppression order originally stated that any vessel upon which he resided could not be revealed but now also covers any aircraft or vessel on which he lives or travels. He’s still not allowed to leave the State and has already surrendered his passport. Mr Freitag also had a requirement his wealthy client report three times a week to a central police station reduced to once a week. Mr Escalante is next due to face court on June 18. WA Police dramatically raided his residence on January 29, allegedly finding just over 30 grams of cocaine, 18g of MDMA and 12.2g of ketamine. He was granted bail at his initial court appearance, when it emerged he was accused of attacking his ex-partner after unlawfully entering the 24-year-old woman’s home on the night of the Australia Day public holiday. He also allegedly stole luxury items including a Bulgari white gold bracelet valued in excess of $71,000, a Rolex watch worth more than $25,000 and a $30,000-plus Cartier love bracelet. Another example of “high value jewellery and handbags” valued in excess of $350,000 that he gifted her and allegedly thieved back was a Van Cleef necklace valued at more than $16,000. The court was told the pair had been in a relationship for 12 months and broke up weeks before the incident, when the woman woke up to find a barrage of angry messages on her phone. Among them was “I’m coming now”, police said. They said he owned the residential complex but did not have his own keys, so got in via his housekeeper, who also lived there. “The accused ... immediately began to yell and shout at the victim, telling her to pack up her belongings and get out of the apartment,” the police prosecutor said. “As the accused pushed past the victim, he grabbed her hair and forced her out of the way to make his way towards the victim’s bedroom. “Both the victim and accused became involved in a scuffle which resulted in both parties landing on the floor in the walk-in robe. “The struggle ensued as the accused attempted to tear apart the victim’s handbags.” One of them was a black leather Hermes Birkin 25 handbag, valued at $66,000, which he allegedly scratched using a pair of scissors. “As the victim tried to stop the accused from damaging her property, he struck her in the face with a closed fist,” the police prosecutor said. “As a result of being struck, the victim fell to the floor.” He said the woman’s sister, who also lived there, called police and Mr Escalante fled after being told by the housekeeper that they were on their way. The incidents relating to the persistently engaging in family violence charge were allegedly committed between June 2025 and January 2026 as the couple travelled the world. Mr Escalante is accused of kicking the woman to the back so hard he knocked her from the bed and punching her in the face while they travelled in a vehicle. When she asked the security officer who was driving for help, he ignored her “and turned the music up”, the police prosecutor said. The assault continued at a villa, he said, and the woman was left limping after a separate incident when Mr Escalante repeatedly punched and kicked her. He has not yet entered pleas. He is the creator of Virtual Gaming Worlds, which confirmed after he was charged that he would be taking a leave of absence from his role as CEO and executive chairman. Mr Escalante founded VGW - the company behind online gambling brands including Chumba Casino and Global Poker - in 2010. It was propelled to success by the COVID-19 lockdowns in the US. In August 2025, Mr Escalante completed an $810 million offer for the 30 per cent of VGW he did not own, revaluing the group set up by the former financial planner at $3.2 billion.