Nathan Mckenzie Watson in court for assault, strangulation

The Fraser Coast abuser claimed he was stressed by the recent loss of his father when he launched the brutal attack on his girlfriend after she refused to lie on his behalf. Read what else what said in the courtroom:

Nathan Mckenzie Watson, 26, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation and wilful damage when he faced Maryborough District Court.

When his girlfriend refused to lie to the police on his behalf, a man launched a violent attack on her, punching her in the face and grabbing her around the throat.

Nathan Mckenzie Watson, 26, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation and wilful damage when he faced Maryborough District Court.

The court heard the woman’s refusal to lie in a police statement had led to an argument between the two.

This then led to a physical altercation in which the man punched his partner in the face, then kicked her in the back, legs and head while she was on the ground.

The attack continued when he grabbed her around the throat for 30 seconds, the court heard.

After the assault, the woman gathered her things and left the home, seeking help from the police and hospital.

Police later found Watson had also smashed a window at the home.

He later gave false statements to police, denying any involvement in the assault.

In her statement to police, the woman said she was traumatised and had been fearful for her life.

Watson had written a letter to the court and to the victim expressing his remorse.

But he did not want the court to think he was making any excuses for his behaviour, the court was told.

The court heard his father had died a few weeks before the attack on his partner and he had been under mental stress.

Watson, who had been diagnosed with autism and depression, had been mentally and emotionally unstable at the time of committing the offences, the court was told, and had been self-medicating.

In prison, where he had spent 350 days in pre-sentence custody, he had made efforts to rehabilitate, including taking courses to address drug and alcohol use and to help get a job when he was released.

Judge Michael Burnett described Watson’s offending as “simply unacceptable”.

Watson was sentenced to two and a half years in prison with immediate release on parole, with the 350 days he had already spent in custody declared as time served.