‘I’ll kill you if you call police’: vicious attacker in court
A Gympie man’s vicious attack on a Southside woman left him with bloodied fists. The 23-year-old had told his victim he would kill her if she called police.
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Gympie police called to a disturbance on the Southside earlier this year arrived to find a 23-year-old man with bloodied fists and a bloodied lump of wood.
Jamie Dennis Geoffry Butler pleaded guilty via videolink from custody on Thursday to assault causing bodily harm and damage to property.
Gympie Magistrates Court heard police were called to a Southside home on January 18 after reports of a woman being assaulted.
When they got there they found Butler with bloodied fists and a lump of wood. He had hit the victim several times on her face, using a metal pole as a weapon, the court heard.
He also used the lump of wood as a weapon, swinging it over the woman’s head. She shielded herself by putting her arms over her head, which caused her injury.
“The timber was used to the extent that it broke on impact,” Magistrate Kurt Fowler said.
Butler continued to threaten the victim, hitting her on the side of her face before police arrived.
Police prosecutor Balan Selvadurai said the incident began with an argument, which quickly escalated to violence.
“There was a punch to the face,” he told the court.
“... and there were allegations of a metal pole from a shoe rack, that was used to hit the aggrieved.”
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Senior Constable Selvadurai said Butler had stayed at the victim’s house the night before the attack.
Magistrate Kurt Fowler said it appeared substance abuse was an issue for him at the time of the assault, and may have played a role.
He also said the 000 call was not made by Butler or his victim.
“... police were called, sadly and ironically, not by your partner,” he said.
“Noting the comments you made to her, that you would kill her if she called the police.”
Butler was on parole at the time of the offences, and has been in pre-sentence custody ever since.
He was sentenced to 15 months jail, with a parole release date of August 29, 2021.
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