Elizabeth Grove man charged over alleged ‘savage’ family violence

‘Savage’ family violence allegations have been heard by a court, including that a methed-up man filled his ex’s insulin needle with ‘harsh chemicals’ and threatened to inject her with it.

A man was delusional from meth use when he threatened to inject his ex with a “harsh chemical”, locked her in a birdcage, tried to waterboard her and handcuffed her, a court has heard.

Elizabeth Grove man Matthew Wesley Hulls, 35, was denied bail in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court where he faced charges relating to a “savage attack” and other “horrific acts” he allegedly perpetrated against his ex-girlfriend.

Hulls was arrested on Sunday before being charged with three counts of choking in a domestic setting, 10 counts of aggravated assault, two counts of false imprisonment, three counts of aggravated assault causing harm and one count each of aggravated threat to cause harm and aggravated cause harm with intent.

A police prosecutor told the court the allegations, from between September last year and May this year, were “very serious” and he had instructions to oppose any bail application.

The court heard Hulls had installed CCTV cameras in his house which police say he attempted to catch his ex cheating on him after he recorded her speaking to her former partner on the phone.

Matthew Wesley Hulls has been charged with a series of serious family violence offences including threatening to inject his partner with chemicals. Picture: Russell Millard

Over the course of the next 10 months Hulls allegedly choked the woman several times, causing her to lose consciousness, handcuffed her to his bed, threatened to kill her, and “made her beg for her life”.

The prosecutor alleged Hulls took methylamphetamine and was having “psychotic episodes” causing him to think the woman was sneaking men into the house.

The court heard in November last year Hulls woke the sleeping woman by slapping her face before dragging her to an ensuite by the throat and kicking her.

While in the ensuite, the prosecutor alleged, he used one of the woman’s insulin needles to draw “harsh chemicals” from a brown bottle before holding it to her neck and delivering a threat.

“’If kicking it out of you doesn’t get you to tell the truth, let’s see what injecting you with this does’,” the prosecutor alleged Hulls said.

The prosecutor then alleged Hulls during the period of allegations threatened to smash the woman’s fingers with a hammer, attempted to waterboard her in his garage and locked her in a large birdcage after threatening her with an axe.

The court heard there was a witness to some of the allegations who was also the alleged victim in other family violence related charges being faced by Hulls.

That witness had alleged to police she had seen Hulls break his ex’s insulin pump, choked her while holding her against a wall, “shaken (her) like a ragdoll”, threatened her with a sledgehammer, stabbed her with a knife and bitten her fingers.

The Elizabeth Magistrates Court, in which Matthew Wesley Hulls appeared by video link. (AAP Image / Keryn Stevens)

The court was told Hulls was on bail for the alleged offending against the witness when he was arrested at the weekend.

As the allegations were being read Hulls became irate yelling “just because she said it doesn’t mean it’s true … this is f***ing bulls***”.

Vanessa Cream, duty solicitor for Hulls, conceded the charges were “very serious” before highlighting there was a lack of physical evidence, delay in the allegations and “collusion” between the ex and the witness.

“(The witness) apparently attended the house and on one occasion Hulls engages in this savage attack on the victim whereby the witness is there and sees him waterboarding her and assaulting her very viciously,” she said.

“It almost beggars belief that these horrific acts could be perpetrated while another person is present.”

Magistrate Justin Wickens heard Hulls had been convicted for offending in 2009 and 2007 categorised by the prosecutor as having a “similar MO” including strangulation against a wall.

Mr Wickens remanded Hulls in custody and said he was “greatly concerned by the number of, and the nature of, the allegations”.

Hulls was remanded to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court in January next year.