Gympie man jailed for 'frightening' Maccas carpark threats

He rang the victim the next day and said 'I'm going to come there and strangle you'.

A GYMPIE man who made violent threats to his former partner in a McDonald's carpark and over the phone the next day has been jailed.

Appearing in custody, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty via videolink to contravening a domestic violence order twice in as many days.

Gympie Magistrates Court heard he went to the McDonald's Gympie carpark at 10:40pm on March 17 to meet the victim and hand over their child, but soon became verbally abusive towards her.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lisa Manns told the court he said "It's no wonder I didn't strangle you", "I don't know why I haven't killed you" and "It's no wonder that I bashed you" after she refused his request to borrow her phone.

She then ran inside the restaurant, told the manager to call the police, came back out to retrieve the child and re-entered the building to seek refuge from him, the court heard.

The man left before police arrived. After speaking with the child by phone the next day, the man made more threats to the victim, saying "I'm a hero for not killing you" and "I'm going to come there and strangle you, I don't care if I get two years for it, it will be worth it" before the victim disconnected the call.

He tried calling her several more times and sent her text messages, the court heard.

The man's lawyer said his client and the victim had made an agreement "outside the ordinary" for him to have their child on March 17 as it was his birthday, but tension arose when the victim asked for the child to be returned.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan called the threats "frightening" and told the man his behaviour was "unacceptable in our society".

He sentenced the man to nine months' jail for both breaches, along with the whole of a one month suspended sentence imposed last November. He ordered the man be released on June 28 after serving 88 days of pre-sentence custody.