Jonathon Joel Bury in court on assault charge

A judge who likened a Bundaberg abuser’s actions to that of a caveman, said unsuspecting women needed to be protected from him. Here’s what else he said and why.

A judge has told a court that women needed to be protected from a Bundaberg man with a history of bashing his partners.

Jonathon Joel Bury, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence offence) in Bundaberg District Court on Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Carla Ahern told the court Bury accused his former partner of “cheating” after they had broken up, before pushing her, making her fall on a bike and suffer pain.

When she tried to get up, Bury pushed her again, forcing her into a bench.

She was taken to hospital to be assessed, suffering a scrape and a bruise.

The court heard it wasn‘t the first offence of its kind in the defendant’s history - Bury had previously faced court for violence against his partners including another count of assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence offence) against a different woman he had been dating.

Ms Ahern told the court Bury could not rely on the benefit of youth and that he‘d shown a propensity to commit violence against his partners.

Barrister Nick Larter said his client had a significant history, despite telling the court his charge of assault occasioning bodily harm was at the lower end of the scale of offending.

Mr Larter told the court Bury had supportive parents, had concreting work lined up upon his release from prison and had suffered mental health issues after his son drowned in a dam.

Jonathon Joel Bury, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence offence) in Bundaberg District Court on Thursday.

But Judge Michael Burnett told the court Bury‘s hardship was no excuse for his actions and that myriad counselling services were available.

He pointed out the fact the defendant and the victim had not been dating at the time Bury accused her of cheating.

“What she does is entirely her business and nothing to do with you,” Judge Burnett told Bury, who sat in the dock.

Bury was given a stern verbal reprimand by Judge Burnett, who likened his actions to that of a caveman.

“You spoke to police after these events, your account is noted to be largely self-serving. Indeed, it constituted what I would instruct a jury was broadly what’s termed an Edwards lie,” he said.

“You lied to the police about what happened in order to deflect your guilt from these events.

“It was a dreadful act of cowardice on your part, rather than acknowledging what you’d done...”

Judge Burnett gave the defendant credit for making a guilty plea on the day he fronted court, while noting an extensive and worrying criminal history that was “escalating” with each assault worse than the last.

“You cannot behave this way in your relationships with women,” Judge Burnett said.

“The women you’re meeting in the future, and there will be women, you’re still a young man, need to be protected from your behaviours.

“They unsuspectingly will fall in with you, no doubt they’ll be attracted to you for whatever reason that suits, but nonetheless they need to be protected from your inability to address this propensity to behave this way.”

Judge Burnett termed it a “concerning feature”.

“The world has moved on Mr Bury, we no longer live in caves and carry truncheons around and knock women over the head when we don’t get our own way,” he said.

“We behave in a civilised way in our society and this behaviour is quite contrary to all of that.”

Bury was sentenced to 12 months’ prison with immediate parole eligibility after serving 217 days of pre-sentence custody.