‘I’LL SLIT YOUR THROAT’

Woman choked, threatened

A CORIO man who choked a woman and threatened to slit her throat in separate attacks has avoided jail.

David Andrews, 35, was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid community work after pleading guilty to the assaults in Geelong Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The woman was unable to breathe for at least 10 seconds when Andrews choked her on the evening of September 7.

He later told officers he didn’t know how long he had strangled her, saying: “For her it probably felt like ages, for me it could have been 30 seconds.”

Andrews again became violent towards the woman during an argument on November 8. Shortly after 10am, he pointed a knife at the woman and told her: “I should slit your throat right now.”

She ran out of the home in fear and Andrews was later interviewed and charged by police.

Defence lawyer Wendy Gibbons said there was no excuse for Andrews’ behaviour, but said he had a “limited” criminal history.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie said the level of violence during the incidents was worrying.

“It’s concerning because you wouldn’t do that in your normal life, but it happens in a domestic situation,” she said yesterday.

Ms McGarvie spared Andrews a jail term, but placed him on a 12-month community corrections order, which included a requirement to attend an offending behaviour program.