Jason Paul Walden guilty of assaulting partner as she held her baby with pliers and fire extinguisher

Trapped in a shed and clutching her five-week-old baby, a Queensland woman thought she was going to die as her enraged partner unleashed because she wanted to leave him. *Distressing.

A Bundaberg chef and father of three children locked his partner in a shed, sprayed her with a fire extinguisher and threatened to kill her while she was holding a five-week-old baby.

These harrowing details were read out in Bundaberg Magistrates Court where Jason Paul Walden, 39, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm while armed, deprivation of liberty and serious assault of a police officer.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Carl Spargo told the court the series of offences occurred in May 2023 at a Bundaberg property that Walden shared with his mother, with Walden living in a shed at the back of the property and his mother in the main house.

The court heard Walden and his partner, the victim in this case, had an argument in the shed, in the course of which Walden smashed her mobile phone.

She then left the property and returned later that evening in the hope Walden had calmed down and she would be able to retrieve her phone.

Jason Paul Walden assaulting his partner while she held her baby with pliers and a fire extinguisher.

Upon entering the shed, the victim placed her five-week-old baby on a bed and started boiling a kettle for the baby’s bottle, then started walking towards the couch.

At this point Walden began yelling at his partner, telling her she was a bad mother, and punching her “very hard” twice in the left side of her face causing her intense pain, the court heard.

She then sought safety by laying down on the bed next to her baby, believing Walden would not hurt her any further while she was in that position, and went to sleep.

After Walden woke up late the following day his partner told him he had been treating her badly and she wanted to leave.

Walden then told his partner “you’re not f —king going” and trapped her in the shed by locking a padlock on the door.

The partner asked Walden to let her out of the shed “or she would make a scene”, in response to which Walden said, “I’ll f —king kill you before you leave here”.

While holding the baby to her chest, the woman told Walden she thought she may be better off dead.

Walden then approached her from behind while holding a set of pliers in one hand and held his other hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling out.

While holding the pliers against her face Walden threatened to harm his partner, saying “I will cut your tongue out” and “I will pull your teeth out” before striking her with the pliers to the left side of her head three or four times.

Walden threatened to cut his partner's tongue out with pliers before smashing them into the side of her head three or four times.

After she freed herself by biting Walden’s hand, he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back of the shed and released the contents at her while she was still holding the baby.

She later told police she thought she was going to die from difficulties breathing due to the powder in the air.

In an attempt to save her baby from suffocating the complainant held the baby under her jacket and blew in his face while screaming at Walden to stop.

Walden then calmed down and unlocked the shed door, allowing her to leave with her baby.

When she left the shed, Walden’s mother who asked her what had been going on, in response to which the complainant informed her Walden had hit the child and sprayed him with the fire extinguisher.

The court heard Walden’s mother then said words to the effect of “what did you do to set him off?”.

The woman reported Walden to police the following day and two police officers interviewed Walden at his address and arrested him.

While the officers were walking Walden to the police vehicle at the front of the address, Walden escaped from their custody and ran away down the street.

One of the officers chased Walden and grabbed him while he was trying to climb over a fence 100 metres from his home, following which Walden punched him to the side of his head several times, causing the officer to release him.

Walden has qualifications as a chef and motor mechanic and has three children, the court heard.

Walden was arrested by another police officer soon afterwards when he returned to the street.

His lawyer, Matt Maloy, told the court his client was born in Bundaberg, had obtained qualifications as a chef and motor mechanic and had employment waiting for him in either of those fields in the mines upon his release from custody.

Walden had three children the court heard.

Mr Maloy told the court Walden had a history of drug addiction which he said was related to his work as a chef, an occupation which he instructed was “rife with drug use”.

The court heard Walden had been given many opportunities to use drugs while in custody since May 2023, but he had declined out of an intention to free himself of his drug addiction.

Magistrate John McInnes ordered Walden serve two years' probation.

Walden was convicted of two counts of common assault and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, assault occasioning bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, obstructing police officer, serious assault police officer causing bodily harm and wilful damage.

Convictions were recorded.

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