Clifford James Barrett sentenced in Gympie court for assault

An enraged drunk man threatened to kill a woman behind her back before grabbing her by the throat. Read what the court heard:

A 62-year-old man was given a suspended jail sentence on Thursday for assaulting a woman in a drunk rage.

Clifford James Barrett pleaded guilty to common assault in Gympie Magistrates Court and was sentenced to six months jail, suspended for 18 months.

Barrett became verbally abusive to a woman on the morning of February 28, 2022, calling her a “c---.”

At about 10pm, almost 12 hours later, Barrett went up to her face to scream loudly for about half an hour before slamming down a glass of vodka in rage.

The woman overheard him threatening to kill her.

He then approached her and grabbed her by the throat, dragging her against the cupboards.

Barrett squeezed her neck for about 10-15 seconds, leaving her in shock and not feeling any pain, the court heard.

“She described the feeling like a Chinese burn,” magistrate Chris Callaghan said.

The man straddled the woman on the coach and bent her head back, repeatedly shouting “look at me, just answer me you f------ b----.”

Eventually, he let go, the court heard.

Barrett worked on a trawler before he started as a driver at a concrete plant, the court heard.

Convictions were recorded.