Taylor told ambos of Newton's 'problems'

Actress Rachael Taylor told ambulance staff who treated her then-boyfriend Matthew
Newton in a luxury Rome hotel that he suffered from "psychological problems",
according to Italian police.
Newton has been accused of violently assaulting Taylor, who has taken out an
apprehended violence order (AVO) against him following two alleged "unprovoked
violent assaults" while the couple were on holiday in Rome.
Giovanni D'Auria of the paramilitary Carabinieri police force confirmed on Monday
that officers were called to the Westin Excelsior Hotel on the night of August 13
because of a verbal fight in one of the rooms.
Officer D'Auria said Newton was being sedated by paramedics when the police arrived
and he was then taken to the hospital.
Newton apparently "lost his temper", officer D'Auria said, adding there were no
allegations of physical violence at the time.
He said Taylor told ambulance staff and Carabinieri officers that her boyfriend
suffered from "psychological problems".
Newton - the son of showbiz couple Bert and Patti Newton - quit as host of Seven's
The X Factor show after reportedly being "escorted" home from Ireland by a series
producer.
The network issued a statement on Monday saying Newton's health was the reason he'd
been forced to withdraw from the much-heralded show, which is due to go to air next
Monday.
In April, Newtown spent 28 days in Melbourne's Malvern Private Hospital, which
specialises in drug and alcohol issues, and he is reportedly back in rehab.
Neither Bert nor Patti Newton would comment when confronted by TV reporters on
Tuesday, but Newton's sister Lauren on Monday said the family was sticking by her
troubled brother.
"He's working through his issues and we all love and support him," she said at the
family's East Hawthorn home.
Taylor's management said in a statement on Monday that the actress and model was
receiving medical treatment in Los Angeles.
She was taking legal action after a series of "gravely serious incidents" including
two unprovoked violent assaults, on August 13 and 14, while in Rome with Newton, the
statement says.
"After much consideration and struggle, I have made this personal decision to send a
clear public message that violence, threats, abuse and intimidation are not
acceptable and should be dealt with by the full capacity of the law," she said.
Newton has faced allegations of domestic violence before, pleading guilty in 2007 to
a "one-off" assault on actress girlfriend Brooke Satchwell during a break-up
argument.
Newton admitted to punching Satchwell and pushing her into a wall at his Sydney home
in Rozelle while she begged him to stop.
He was given a 12-month good behaviour bond for the assault, but the conviction was
later quashed after the judge heard of his history of mental health problems.