Vincent Andrew Richard Barnes sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for violently attacking woman

A 37-year-old man subjected a woman to six weeks of horror where he repeatedly physically assaulted her during fits of rage and threatened to take her life.

Vincent Andrew Richard Barnes was sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court after subjecting a woman to six weeks of horrific violence

A 37-year-old man who has never been employed, held a knife to a woman’s throat and threatened to kill her during six weeks of extremely violent abuse.

Vincent Andrew Richard Barnes appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday via videolink after headbutting and punching a woman during fits of rage.

Police prosecutor Catherine Elkins said from December 2024 to February this year, Barnes repeatedly threatened to kill the woman on multiple occasions.

“(Barnes) picked up a knife and threatened to kill the (woman) with it, he made a stabbing motion with the knife while standing over her,” she said.

“He then proceeded to hold the knife to the woman’s throat and threatened to kill her.”

A few days later, the 37-year-old headbutted the woman so hard it caused a five centimetre split across her face.

On Valentine’s Day this year, the woman was walking on the street when Barnes rode up to her on his bike and again threatened to kill her.

“He has stepped up to the woman and hit her in the head with a fist,” Ms Elkins said.

People who witnessed the horrific incident in the street made calls to emergency services.

On another occasion the woman was sleeping in her house when she was woken up by Barnes.

He then grabbed a nearby electric fan and smashed it against the wall and threatened her with a knife before leaving on his bicycle, the court heard.

While Ms Elkins suggested he spend 18 to 24 months in jail, Barnes’s defence lawyer Adam Mussap from ATSILs said he believed his client should serve from 25 to 27 months instead.

“I’m advocating for my client but I also have to take into consideration the seriousness of the offending,” Mr Mussap said.

The court heard Barnes suffered from a drug addiction and had been exposed to violence as a child.

Acting magistrate Raimund Heggie said Barnes’s behaviour was extremely alarming.

“It may well be that you’ve come up in an environment in your life where domestic violence was a regular feature but that is something that is to be deterred,” he said.

“(A sentence must get) you to come to the realisation that what you might think is normal within the domestic setting with your chosen partners is just not acceptable.”

Barnes pleaded guilty to the contravention of a domestic violence order and assault occasioning bodily harm, domestic violence offence.

His 120 days spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served, and a previous suspended sentence for unrelated offending was activated.

He was sentenced to 25 months jail with a parole release date set for October 16 2025.

Originally published as Vincent Andrew Richard Barnes sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for violently attacking woman