Woman heard arm go ‘snap’ during beating

A YOUNG Tasmanian man and former sheep shearer who headbutted his girlfriend and broke her arm with a “snap” will serve a seven-month sentence under home detention.

Leigh Douglas Monks, 24, was visiting friends at West Moonah and Chigwell in January this year when his partner went into the laundry to smoke a cigarette and cannabis, the Supreme Court of Tasmania heard.

Monks followed her and told the woman the other men in the house didn’t want her there and that she had to leave.

The woman hugged him, but Monks pulled his head back and said “I’m f...ing sick of this” and headbutted her forcefully, the court was told. The next morning, Monks pretended he had a gun by wrapping his hands in a jumper and pointed them at the woman’s head.

The woman said “just shoot me”, but Monks laughed and punched her on the left side of the face.

He then started yelling and kicked the woman’s legs a few times before walking away.

The woman followed him, but Monks said “do you want me to kick you in the head?” before running at her and kicking her left arm, with the woman hearing her forearm snap.

She went inside but Monks grabbed her by her other arm and dragged her down the steps as she cried while he continued bashing her. The woman went to hospital the next morning and her broken arm was placed in a cast.

When interviewed by police, Monks denied breaking the woman’s arm and said she was “off her head”.

He later pleaded guilty to two assault charges and four counts of breaching a police family violence order.

In a statement to the court, the woman said she did not know if she was going to be seriously injured or even killed during the assaults.

Acting Justice David Porter placed Monks on a sevenmonth home detention order with electronic monitoring and ordered that he not consume alcohol during that period.