Gympie abuser escapes jail time for abusive texts, threats

A violent 39-year-old constantly harassed his Gympie ex with abusive phone calls and text messages, turning up at her home in the dead of night, and at her workplace, demanding money.

A woman’s ex partner has been given a suspended jail sentence for sending her abusive text messages, including threats to burn down her house.

A 39-year-old Gympie man escaped jail time on Monday after he sent his victim threatening text messages and showed up at her house and workplace.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons and appeared unrepresented, pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court to two breaches of a domestic violence order. He also pleaded not guilty to an evasion charge.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell told the court the two breaches happened on February 18 and 21, respectively.

She said the victim received a text message from the man saying he was going to burn down her house, which started a chain of text messages between the two.

“I’m going to f--- up your whole house and burn it to the ground,” she quoted.

The victim told the man to stop threatening her, and said she was not home but their children were.

The man replied, “I don’t care”.

Sergeant Campbell said on another occasion, the man woke the woman at 2.30am by standing at her bedroom window and demanding to be let into her house.

The man was at the victim’s bedroom window at 2.30am asking “let me in, I need help with something,” the Gympie court heard.

The victim refused and told him to go away, but the man refused and stood outside her bedroom window for 15 minutes before he left.

He then showed up at her workplace later the same day and demanded money from her, but she refused.

Sgt Campbell said the man argued with her before he was asked to leave and police were called.

She said the woman was visibly upset when talking to police, saying she was constantly harassed by the man in-person and over text messages and phone calls, and no longer felt safe.

The man told the court “it was a stupid thing to do”, and said he had begun working with the Men Choosing Change program.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan described his actions as “serious breaches”.

He was sentenced to three months jail, suspended for 12 months.

A brief of evidence was ordered for the evasion charge, and he will reappear in Gympie Magistrates Court on September 13.