Mother of seven in court for DVO contravention, death threats

An argument escalated to death threats when a Bundaberg mother of seven and the main breadwinner for her family became frustrated with her son’s messy room.

A Bundaberg mother of seven threatened to kill her partner because her 18-year-old son had not been cleaning his room, a Bundaberg court heard.

A mother of seven threatened to kill her partner because her 18-year-old son had not been cleaning his room, a Bundaberg court heard.

The woman, who cannot be identified due to being a respondent to a domestic violence order, pleaded guilty in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday to contravening the order order which had been made against her by her partner in 2019.

Police prosecutor Leon Casey told the court the woman, 54, was upset that her 18-year-old son had not been cleaning his bedroom and had been drinking Jim Beam in his room, and an argument ensued between her and her partner.

Mr Casey told the court that in her statement to police the woman said her partner was “screaming at her”, in response to which she said “ok I’ll come and kill you first”.

A Bundaberg mother of seven threatened to kill her partner because her 18-year-old son had not been cleaning his room, a Bundaberg court heard.

Following this exchange, the court heard the woman started smashing on her son’s bedroom door while threatening to break the door down, and police found her in her son’s bedroom when they arrived at the house.

The woman’s defence lawyer, Lavida Maloy, told the court her client, employed as a production factory worker, has four children overseas in addition to the three children she had with her partner.

The court heard the woman was the primary financial support for all her children, and had been experiencing difficulties with her oldest son in addition to the 18-year-old involved in the incident.

Ms Maloy told the court the woman had been “disappointed” in her son’s behaviour, in particular with his drinking “large amounts” of alcohol and smoking in his room.

She was a very proud woman and proud of her family, and the argument with her partner was borne out of her frustration with her son’s “lack of motivation to live in society”, the court heard.

Magistrate Edwina Rowan told the woman she acknowledged the frustration with her son’s lack of motivation, but “threats to kill” are not appropriate particularly given she is a respondent to a DVO.

The woman was convicted of one count of contravention of domestic violence order (aggravated offence) and fined $400.