Cases of choking ‘swamp’ GC courts

THERE’S “so many choking cases” before the courts a judge says he would be “surprised if there’s not an operational manual” for police investigating dangerous domestic violence acts.

Judge David Kent spoke out while sentencing a Pimpama man for choking his partner and spitting blood in her face.

The court was told police used a stop-start timing system to estimate how long Ricky John Russell Morgan cut off his partner’s breath on June 24 last year.

Mr Kent noted there had been “so many choking cases I’d be surprised if there’s not an operational manual” for investigations.

Morgan, 29, faced Southport District Court on Thursday on one count of choking and common assault and two counts of wilful damage – all listed as domestic violence offences. Crown prosecutor Sarah Gallagher told the court Morgan had a history of domestic violence prior to the offending at Pimpama, including “punching his mother in the head” and pushing and slapping his partner “who was holding an infant”.

Ms Gallagher said most recently Morgan brought the couple’s baby into their bed and the victim asked him to move the infant so she could sleep.

Morgan grabbed the woman by the throat and she struggled to breathe for five seconds, though Ms Gallagher did initially tell the court it occurred for about a minute.

The victim was “afraid she’d pass out and die”. Ms Gallagher said Morgan repeatedly struck himself in the face and then spat blood at his partner.

Mr Kent described the choking offence as “extremely serious”.

Morgan was sentenced to an overarching jail term of two-and-a-half years, but he was released on immediate parole considering time already served.