Serial family violence perpetrator jailed indefinitely following dangerous criminal declaration

A 26-year-old man found guilty of an “appalling” series of domestic violence offences will remain in prison indefinitely after being declared a dangerous criminal by a Supreme Court judge.

Risdon Prison. Picture: Chris Kidd

A 26-year-old Tasmanian man found guilty of an “appalling” series of domestic violence offences, which included threats to cut off his partner’s body parts with scissors, will remain in prison indefinitely after being declared a dangerous criminal by a Supreme Court judge.

The offender – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was found guilty by a jury of one count of persistent family violence, following a trial which heard disturbing evidence of the defendant’s use of both physical and sexual assaults to control his partner, and coercive conduct that included deliberately isolating her from friends and family.

Supreme Court Justice Tamara Jago. Picture: Supplied.

In her sentencing comments, Justice Tamara Jago said the defendant had committed six separate acts of family violence during a relatively short period in 2022, which included rape, attempting to steer his partner’s car into oncoming traffic, and the destruction of her property.

The court heard that on the first occasion, the defendant had shaken his partner awake in the middle of the night to question her choice of social media friendships, accuse her of infidelity, and threaten to break her jaw.

“You took her phone and broke it by throwing it and twisting it, before placing it into the microwave,” Justice Jago said.

“The phone was destroyed.

“I am satisfied you did this not only to frighten and control the complainant but also to ensure she was unable to contact family or friends.”

The following day, after grabbing hold of his partner’s steering wheel as she drove, while telling her she should “get into a car accident”, the defendant destroyed another phone by throwing it onto the ground and stomping on it.

After the complainant suffered further acts of violence, which included the defendant threatening to cut off her ears and intimate body parts, she was able to surreptitiously alert her mother to her predicament during a visit to the couple’s home, before the matter was reported to police.

The court heard the man had experienced a chaotic and dysfunctional upbringing, and had an extensive history of using violence against intimate partners.

In assessing the prosecution’s application for the defendant to be declared a dangerous criminal, Justice Jago referred to a psychological report which found the defendant had exhibited a “concerning pattern of coercive control” across at least three intimate relationships, and posed a high risk towards future partners.

Domestic violence generic image.

Justice Jago said declarations were only exercised in very exceptional cases, and meant a defendant could not be released from custody until the declaration was discharged.

“I bear in mind the defendant’s age and the fact I am about to impose upon him a substantial period of imprisonment,” Her Honour said.

“The defendant has not previously received such a lengthy period of imprisonment but given the complexities of the defendant’s personality disorder and his serious violent offending, I do not consider that factor alone sufficiently guards against future community risk.

“In all of the circumstances, I am satisfied to a high degree of probability that the defendant is a serious danger to the community, and I should take the extraordinary step of making the declaration sought.”

Justice Jago sentenced the defendant to seven years’ imprisonment, backdated to April 2022, and ordered the defendant serve at least four years before being eligible for parole.

Her Honour noted that an application for parole could not occur while the dangerous criminal declaration remained operative.

Originally published as Serial family violence perpetrator jailed indefinitely following dangerous criminal declaration