Wife hitter walks free

A GOLD Coast man who allegedly fled the Czech Republic after he was repeatedly interrogated by the secret police in the 1980s was yesterday given a period of probation after assaulting his wife.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 12 months probation and no conviction was recorded. The prosecution said the man used “physical violence” as well as “demeaning comments” against his wife.

The court was told the couple got into an argument while playing the pokies at a bar.

The man’s barrister said her client had a clean criminal history and was struggling with his inability to provide as much to his family after he was forced to stop working as a tiler and go on Centrelink payments due to injury.