Witness chases man into shopping centre after woman attacked in Maryborough

A Maryborough labourer who pushed a woman down a flight of stairs then chased and tried to bash her on the street was then himself chased into a shopping centre.

Maryborough Central Shopping Centre, where a good Samaritan chased an abusive man as he tried to bash a woman on the street.

Disturbing details about the day a labourer pushed a woman down a set of stairs before she was forced to call out for help while running from him have been heard in Maryborough Magistrates Court.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to breaching a domestic violence order.

The court heard that in January 2024, the man went to the woman’s home, where he was forbidden to go under the terms of the DVO.

He went into the home while she was inside and she asked him to leave, but he refused.

The woman then grabbed his bag with the intention of placing it outside the home to make him leave, the court heard.

The man saw the woman walk outside with his bag and followed her, pushing her down a set of stairs while she was putting the bag down.

He then chased her across the street while she was calling out for someone to call the police.

A witness saw the woman and called the police, the court was told.

The man then threw a bottle at the woman, which struck a parked car across the road.

The woman then sought shelter behind a member of the public, but the man started to throw punches at her over the top and around the person she was sheltering behind, the court was told.

A woman was pushed down the stairs before she was forced to hide behind a bystander while a man threw punches at her.

A vehicle stopped, and a second member of the public got out of the car and chased the defendant into Maryborough Central Shopping Centre.

Police arrived and spoke to the woman and the witness who called triple-0.

Police offered the defendant the opportunity for an interview while he was in custody but he declined, the court was told.

Defence lawyer Michael Riedel said his client was born in the Rockhampton area and had only attended school until Year 8.

He had worked in labouring positions on and off over the years, was the father of four children and had been “avoiding contact with the aggrieved”.

The man had expressed remorse, Mr Riedel told the court.

He said it was not suggested that the punches the man had thrown had connected or that the woman had sustained any injuries.

Magistrate John Milburn said the man had saved trauma and expense with his guilty plea, but his offending had involved violence.

He was sentenced to three months prison, wholly suspended for two years.

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