Man threw a wooden box at his ex-partner after a heated argument over phone use

He was an official at a union. But the man, who has committed domestic violence offences against three women, lost his freedom after appearing in Gladstone District Court.

A union official who assaulted his ex-partner with a wooden box in front of their child was jailed in Gladstone District Court on Tuesday.

The man, in his 40s, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed (domestic violence offence) after the incident at his ex-partner’s house.

On July 14, 2019, around 10pm, the man was staying with the woman and their eight-year-old daughter and had consumed several cans of alcohol throughout the night.

He entered the victim’s bedroom where she was in bed with their daughter when an argument broke out between them.

The man was agitated about the victim using her phone, however, it was not clear why.

He then picked up their daughter who had been sleeping, but then let her go and she fell back onto the bed.

The victim yelled at the man for waking their daughter, before he picked up a small wooden box and threw it at the victim, striking her in the back which caused bruising.

He then struck the victim in the face with an open hand causing bruising and bleeding to the mouth.

Finally, he put one of his hands around her mouth when she was crying and screaming during a scuffle which briefly restricted her breathing.

The victim also scratched her own face during the scuffle in an attempt to free herself from the man’s vice-like grip.

He eventually let go of the victim and later apologised, to which she replied he needed to apologise to his daughter who was present for the entire ordeal.

Crown prosecutor Evan O’Hanlon-Rose said it was clear from the victim impact statement the woman was “very rattled” by the incident.

“However, she has since felt like she has grown as a person and it has made both her and the defendant move to better places,” he said.

“He was lucky that he did not cause any serious injury to the complainant and this offending occurred in the presence of their daughter.

“He has a history of domestic violence which is a feature of aggravation, although I note his previous domestic violence offences haven’t involved physical assaults.”

Barrister Rob Glenday told the court his client’s assault, despite its violent nature, was relatively low level.

“It’s essentially a cut lip and she scratched her face herself,” Mr Glenday said.

“The hand over the mouth which was mentioned in the schedule of facts was done spontaneously and it was very brief, probably a second or so.

“The victim had no difficulty removing the defendant’s hand either, so there was no injury caused from that as it was a very quick incident.”

Judge Jeffrey Clarke highlighted the man’s prolific domestic violence record which included charges committed against three different victims.

“You’ve had 23 court appearances in your time and commenced your offending by contravening a Domestic Violence Order when you were 24,” he said.

“It would seem to me a combination of what you did and said flows from some sense of jealousy, a need for attention and a need for relevance.

“It is unexplained why you would become concerned why she would be on her phone then attacking her.

“I view your offending as very serious, it was perpetrated in the family home and within the victim’s bedroom, a place of sanctuary and in the presence of a child.”

The man was convicted and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years after he served six months. A conviction was recorded.