Jason Peter Lucas pleaded guilty to strangulation
A man strangled his partner on several occasions including one instance in which he believed his partner had lifted her dress when she crossed her legs. DISTRESSING CONTENT.
Police & Courts
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Driven by jealousy, a man violently attacked his partner on several occasions, strangling her until she was left gasping and punching her in the face.
Jason Peter Lucas, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of strangulation, one count of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of common assault when he faced the Maryborough District Court on Wednesday.
The court was told the offences occurred when Lucas was in a relationship with a 21-year-old woman.
On September 4, 2022, there was an argument between the two that arose out of Lucas’ jealousy, the court was told.
During the argument, Lucas strangled the young woman while she was on a bed for 10 to 15 seconds, during which she was gasping for air.
She called the police but made no complaint at that time, the court heard.
On February 11, 2023, the two had an argument that arose out of Lucas believing that the woman had lifted her dress “high enough for others to see up in” when she crossed her legs.
He was drinking at the time, the court was told.
Lucas strangled the woman while standing and she was left gasping for air, forcing the woman to punch him in the face to stop him.
Lucas stopped choking her and responded by punching her in the face, leaving her with bruising to her eye.
Again no complaint was made to police at that time, the court heard.
On June 9, 2023, Lucas started arguing with the woman, believing the woman had “someone help her move furniture” in the house.
He hit her in the face because she wouldn’t have a drink with him, the court heard.
The woman was crying and pleading with him to stop.
Lucas then grabbed her by the throat and choked her, leaving the woman unsure if she had lost consciousness.
The next day the woman reported Lucas to the police.
During an interview with the police, Lucas denied choking her and he attempted to blame her for the previous arguments that had occurred.
The court heard Lucas recognised he had issues with alcohol and was working to address them.
He was hoping to gain employment in the mines and share custody of his young son upon his release.
Judge Vicki Loury said his offending was serious and the offence of strangulation was “inherently serious”.
“It is a predictor of increasing violence in a relationship, it is a predictor of homicide within a relationship,” she said.
“Your offending arose often it seems to me out of jealousy, often when you were drinking.
“Your offending is serious because you choked the complainant, or strangled her, on three different occasions.”
Judge Loury said Lucas had been described as lacking insight into his own aggressive impulses.
She said Lucas represented as a “danger to women” with whom he was in a relationship.
Judge Loury said he would be liable to serve a further eight months behind bars because he committed some of the offences while he was on parole for other offending and she would need to take that into account.
“That eight months imprisonment will be a period which will be added on to whatever period I impose as a parole eligibility date,” she said.
Lucas had been in presentence custody for a period of 326 days, Judge Loury said, which she declared as time served.
Judge Loury gave Lucas a head sentence of four years in prison and ordered that he be eligible for parole immediately.
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