Meth fuelled DV abuser Gary Robert Keehn will serve no further time after broken ice pipe attack

A South-East man who attacked his girlfriend in a meth-fuelled rage with a broken ice pipe has walked out of court a free man after being sentenced on Thursday.

A man who held a broken ice pipe to his girlfriend’s throat in a terrifying assault was mirroring the behaviour of his own domestically abusive father, a court has heard.

Gary Robert Keehn, 42, told the court he turned to illicit substances to cope with the past trauma he had endured.

Jarrad Sim, for Keehn, said a drug relapse had led him to commit his terrifying acts of domestic violence, the court heard.

“His father was domestically violent towards his mother — and he suffered with the loss of a newborn baby as a stillbirth,” Mr Sim said.

“He turned to illicit substances rather than professional help.”

Gary Robert Keehn, 42, walks free after terrifying meth attack with magistrate ruling time served sufficient. Photo: Facebook

Gary Robert Keehn, 42, held a broken ice pipe to his girlfriend’s throat in terrifying meth fuelled attack. Photo: Facebook

The court heard the abuse occurred after the alleged victim confronted Mr Keehn about his drug use.

Police said the woman was “pinned to the wall” by the man before the woman’s mother intervened, the court heard.

After the incident the woman went back with the defendant to his house, the court heard.

Police previously said that during the trip the woman received a text from a male friend – prompting the man to become so angry he deleted all male contacts in her phone.

While at his home the pair continued to argue before the defendant allegedly “straddled” the woman again.

“(He) held her shoulder and throat and pressed his thumb into her throat,” a police prosecutor said.

“(He) slapped the victim to the face.”

The court heard the man then smashed an ice pipe, holding the broken remains to her throat.

“If you ever leave me, speak to another man or if you call the cops I will kill you and burn your house down,” a police prosecutor said

Keehn had his most serious domestic violence charges dropped, and pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault with a weapon.

Mr Sim previously said there were a number of inconsistencies in the woman’s allegations, with Keehn only entering a guilty plea out of “convenience”.

Keehn spent a total of seven months and two days in custody while waiting for the matter to be finalised.

On Thursday magistrate Koula Kossiavelous agreed with both police prosecution and Mr Sim — that no further time needed to be served.

Ms Kossiavelous handed down a seven-month term of imprisonment backdating the sentence to Keehn’s July 25 arrest, meaning he was able to walk free from court on Thursday.