Gladstone court: Scratched car sends Calliope man into rage in front of partner, kids

A family grocery trip spiralled out of control when a domestic violence offender lost it over a scratch on their car.

An argument spiralled out of control after a carton of eggs was thrown.

A violent argument spiralled out of control after a man threw a carton of eggs while screaming at his partner over a scratch on their car.

The Gladstone man, 30, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates Court on Tuesday to contravening a domestic violence order.

The court heard that on May 16, around 2pm, police were called to an address in Calliope in relation to a disturbance.

On arrival, police identified the man sitting on a driveway then spoke with the victim who was inside with their three children.

Police computer checks confirmed a Domestic Violence Order was in place which named the defendant as the respondent, his partner as the aggrieved and their three children as named persons.

The victim told police they had all recently returned home from the shops when the man noticed a scratch on their car.

The victim said the defendant started yelling at her about it and when she would attempt to explain he would tell her to ‘be quiet’ or ‘shut up’.

The man then threw a carton of eggs onto the driveway before continuing the argument inside.

The victim said the defendant called her a ‘f---ing b----’ several times before she told him to go outside.

She said the children were present during the argument and they would have witnessed it.

Police attempted to speak to the man who at times remained silent during certain questions.

He did admit, however, to throwing eggs by nodding and stated his behaviour during the incident was, “not his best behaviour”.

Magistrate Bevan Manthey convicted and sentenced the man to three months imprisonment, wholly suspended for 12 months. A conviction was recorded.