Man threw his ex-wife against wall
A FORMER star local footballer is facing jail time over a violent attack on his ex-wife.
On one night in August 2016, Adrian Stapleton twice broke into his ex’s Ocean Grove home and attacked her, along with her new partner.
At one stage during the vicious assault, Stapleton grabbed his former wife by the hair, threw her against the wall and punched her to the face.
The 44-year-old pleaded guilty in Geelong County Court to charges of aggravated burglary, intentionally causing injury, unlawful assault, theft and damaging property.
The incident came years after Stapleton enjoyed a decorated playing career with Ocean Grove, where he won six senior premierships and three reserves premierships.
During his career in the 1990s and 2000s, he also represented the Bellarine Football League’s representative side.
After hanging up the boots, he steered Ocean Grove’s reserves to two premierships, and is now involved at a coaching level with Bell Park.
But it is the father-of-two’s actions away from the football field that could land him behind bars.
About 4am on August 21, 2016, Stapleton forced his way into his ex-wife’s home after a night of heavy drinking with a friend. During the ensuing assault, he also damaged a windscreen wiper and stole his ex-wife’s phone.
Stapleton had been fighting the charges against him until his guilty plea yesterday.
A previous court hearing earlier this month was told Stapleton had been married to the victim for more than 20 years. His lawyer at that hearing said, at the time of the incident, Stapleton was struggling with the breakup.
“There was a simmering level of discontent between the parties,” he said.
The lawyer said Stapleton was “shocked, embarrassed and ashamed” of his behaviour and had dramatically reduced his drinking since the incident.
Stapleton will return to court in September for sentencing submissions. In the meantime, he remains on bail with strict conditions including that he report to police three times a week and not leave Victoria.