Joshua Plozza to fight threat, assault charges at contested hearing

A Geelong businessman accused of threatening and assaulting a woman allegedly told another man he wanted her to disappear, a court has heard.

Joshua John Plozza outside Geelong court this year.

A former Geelong businessman accused of assaulting and threatening a woman, as well as drug trafficking, will fight the charges at a contested hearing next year.

Joshua John Plozza, 32, fronted Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, facing a raft of charges including stalking, recklessly causing injury, making threats to kill, dealing with the proceeds of crime and trafficking cocaine.

Plozza was the owner of the now-closed burger takeaway shop JP’s Drive Thru on Yarra St.

Police allege the businessman subjected a woman to physical and verbal abuse for months in late-2023 and early-2024.

Plozza is accused of assaulting the woman on multiple occasions, as well as threatening to kill her or inflict serious injury.

After hearing the police summary, presiding magistrate Franz Holzer said if the charges were proven Plozza would face a lengthy jail sentence involving a non-parole period.

Non-parole periods can only be imposed on jail sentences greater than 12 months.

The allegations were a “vile and hideous display of a man towards a woman”, Mr Holzer said.

Plozza’s lawyer, Simon Northeast, didn’t mince words as the matter was set for a contested hearing in May next year.

Mr Northeast told the court his client had always contested the charges and suggested there was evidence that would exonerate him.

The court heard Plozza had hired a barrister to represent him at the hearing.

“We’ve got evidence lined up, counsel lined up; we’re keen to contest this matter,” Mr Northeast said.

On one occasion, Plozza is accused of slamming the woman’s head into the passenger side window of a car as they travelled along the Princes Highway between Melbourne and Geelong.

The attack allegedly resulted in bruising and swelling to her head and collarbone, injuries which were observed by three witnesses, police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Kerrie-Ann Moroney told the court.

After the assault, he allegedly made the complainant clean dog faeces off the car.

While attending a party in Torquay in March Plozza is alleged to have told another man that he was “having trouble with a woman he was seeing” and he “wanted to make her disappear”, the court heard.

Mr Holzer said that while much of the alleged offending took place behind closed doors, the case was “not entirely without some third party evidence”.

The hearing will involve the testimony of six civilian witnesses as well as a police witness.

The court heard the victim had made notes about the assaults and recorded a phone call in which Plozza threatened to burn her possessions.

The court heard the police would use Plozza’s July conviction for stalking a different woman as part of a tendency notice that needed to be compiled.

When police raided Plozza’s St Albans Park home in June, they also found approximately 100g of cocaine, $19,990 in cash - alleged to be the proceeds of crime - and more than $1000 in casino chips.

Originally published as Joshua Plozza to fight threat, assault charges at contested hearing