Son of top cop chokes woman

THE son of a police officer grabbed his partner by the throat and pulled her from the room in front of her two children a day after being released on bail.

Michael Timothy Flori squeezed the woman’s throat so hard she was “briefly breathless” and pulled her so violently her feet left the floor.

The Gold Coast mechanic pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court yesterday to choking, trespass, using a carriage service to menace and harass and 13 counts of contravening a domestic violence order.

Flori, who has an addiction to ice, sobbed in the dock during the sentencing proceedings. The court was told that hours after Flori had been released on bail for breach of a domestic violence order, he returned to the family’s Gold Coast home on October 5 last year.

Judge Ian Dearden said he made “deeply unpleasant and violent threats” to the woman.

The next day he came up behind the woman, putting her in a choke hold.

He had attacked after asking questions about why the woman had spoken to his father.

Flori squeezed so hard she was briefly breathless and then dragged her towards another room.

He only stopped when the woman’s 10-year-old child approached.

The court was read a portion of the woman’s victim impact statement, in which she spoke about feeling “overwhelming grief, anxiety, sadness and confusion” and spoke of a “sense of betrayal”.

“Under the influence of methamphetamine he was scary,” she said.

The court was also told Flori, in September and October last year, repeatedly called, sent texts and wrote to her. One day in October he called her 26 times in one hour.

Judge Dearden described Flori’s actions as “appalling and disgraceful conduct”.

“When you put your arms around someone’s neck and squeeze, even if it’s a very short period of time, even if it’s something that doesn’t last very long, it has a serious risk … that risk is serious injury or death,” he said.

Judge Dearden sentenced Flori to three years in prison, to be released on parole on July 26. He will have served nine months in custody.

Flori is the son of Steve Flori, an inspector with Queensland Police, and the nephew of whistleblower Rick Flori.

Defence solicitor Daniel Rawlings said Flori had become addicted to the drug ice after he began to use it to help stay awake for work.