Bundaberg man sentenced to jail over domestic violence order breach

A Bundaberg man is behind bars after he breached a domestic violence order and attacked his partner with a softball bat, leaving her bruised and terrified.

A man has been jailed for attacking his former partner with a softball bat. Picture: Istock

A man who breached a domestic violence order to launch a violent attack on his partner has been put behind bars.

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The man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the victim, appeared by videolink in Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a domestic violence order.

The court heard from police that the former cleaner, aged in his 30s, carried out the attack in February when he came across the woman and struck her in the legs with a softball bat before rummaging through her handbag and speaking to her about not leaving without his permission.

The woman sought refuge in a business, with the prosecution arguing “the acts themselves would have caused great fear to the aggrieved”.

The court heard the man had a pattern of “deplorable” domestic violence behaviour with his history including a jail term for punching the same victim in the head as she slept.

The man’s lawyer, Christabelle Stafford-Smith, told the court her client had lost his job at the time, becoming homeless and lapsing into drug use.

It was heard the man, who had been in custody following the attack, had been in protection due to issues with fellow inmates.

Ms Stafford-Smith said the man planned to reside with his mother upon his release.

Magistrate Edwina Rowan labelled the offending “particularly serious”, referring to the man’s “very concerning history of breaching DVOs”.

He was sentenced to 12 months’ prison, with a parole release date set for July 27, 2023.

The 28 days he had served in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.