Man’s reign of DV terror

Serial woman basher breached orders 14 times

A SERIAL woman basher who backhanded his former partner across the face in front of their toddler had already been convicted of breaching domestic violence orders 14 times, a court heard yesterday.

The attack only stopped when passing motorists intervened.

The man will be released as early as next month, despite the woman being so fearful of him she asked for a domestic violence order to be extended for a further two years until February 2021.

The Gold Coast carpenter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit his former partner across the face with a closed fist when they got into an argument when she was driving him to a train station on April 10 last year.

She had pulled over at the time and demanded he got out.

After she was hit, the woman tried to flee the car but the 34-year-old man pulled her back in and “inadvertently” placed his hand over her mouth, restricting her breathing. Passing motorists heard her screams for help and called police.

He only stopped when other motorists intervened and then fled on foot.

The woman was left with a bruised and swollen cheek and scratches to her body.

The man pleaded guilty in Southport District Court yesterday to assault occasioning bodily harm.

He has spent the last 13 months in custody and wrote a letter to the woman from prison as recently as last Wednesday.

Crown prosecutor Matthew Hynes said the letter did not contain any threats but did make the woman fearful.

The man had already committed 13 domestic violence offences against the woman between July 2016 and February last year.

The attack in the car occurred just three weeks after he was sentenced for assaulting the woman by shoving her face into a couch while she was holding their child, who was five months old at the time.

He received a 12 month sentence with immediate parole release.

The other breaches included sending her text messages, arriving at her home and on one occasion holding the woman down so forcefully he bruised her arms.

The man was also jailed in 2012 for assaulting another woman, who he was living with at the time.

Defence barrister Bernard Reilly said the woman had been the one to initiate contact on many occasions.

“She continues to contact him even after he has been in custody,” he said.

“That was even after he was moved to the Maryborough Correctional Centre.”

He said the carpenter planned to move to Gatton where he had contacts in the building industry and hoped to get work.

Judge Katherine McGinness sentenced the man to two years prison.

She said it was particularly concerning the violence was in front of the pair’s young son.

“The effect of your offending may have some long term impact on him,” she said.

She set a parole release date of July 10.

Ms McGinness ordered the domestic violence order be extended until February 2021.