PLAGUE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Kids watched mum’s attack

A MAN violently attacked his ex- partner in front of her children, choking her, fracturing her collarbone and threatening to kill her.

The North Queensland man, who can’t be named to protect the woman’s identity, pleaded guilty in Townsville District Court this week to 12 offences, including assault causing bodily harm as a domestic violence offence, stealing and six contraventions of a domestic violence order.

Judge Gregory Lynham said the woman took out a domestic violence order against the man in January 2015.

In January last year she started work on a cattle station outside Charters Towers.

The man made attempts to contact her and on January 13 arrived at the cattle station and asked to stay and work there.

On the morning of January 21, the two argued over a water bottle. Hours later the woman asked him to leave.

“That prompted you to start yelling and screaming at her. You demanded money and diesel from her,” Judge Lynham said. “You then got off the bed and you grabbed the complainant by the throat and you threw her to the ground.”

The man told the woman to get up and threatened to kill her.

“Regrettably, the children were present when this happened and witnessed your violent behaviour towards ( her),” he said.

The woman walked into the kitchen and the man demanded her car keys, which she refused.

He screamed at the children and punched their mother in the jaw, causing her to fall backwards.

“You then grabbed the com- plainant by the throat again and started throwing her to the ground and against the walls,” the judge said. “The complainant was on the ground, you then jumped on her.”

The man threw the woman into her son’s room and picked up a metal chair, threatening her with it. He took $ 196 from the woman’s wallet then drove off in his own car.

The woman, who suffered an eye abrasion, a fractured collarbone, jaw swelling, shoulder, elbow and wrist pain, drove herself to Charters Towers for medical treatment.

Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane said the woman, who travelled to Townsville for the sentence, still suffered pain from the attack.

Judge Lynham sentenced the man to two- and- a- half years in jail. As he had already served 523 days in custody, he was released on immediate parole.