Farm worker in court for aggravated DVO breach

A woman who crashed while trying to flee a violent attack was dragged from the car, bashed and her head slammed into a pole, all in front of horrified witnesses. Now her attacker is about to walk free.

A 42-year-old former fruit picker from Gayndah pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court via video link on Friday to an aggravated contravention of a domestic violence order.

A 42-year-old former fruit picker from Gayndah slammed a woman’s head into a pole in front of horrified witnesses after she crashed her car while trying to escape him.

The man pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court via video link to an aggravated contravention of a domestic violence order.

The court heard how the man, who cannot be named to protect the victim, violently assaulted a her on January 2, 2023, telling her: “If you don’t suck me off I’ll glass you”.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell told the court how the woman tried to escape in a car but crashed into a pole. The man followed her and continued to “ram her head into a pillar” after the crash.

“This demonstrates a serious, violent, prolonged attack on an aggrieved in a public way,” Sergeant Campbell said.

The attack happened at Chatsworth where members of the public tried to intervene unsuccessfully, acting magistrate Raelene Ellis said.

A 42-year-old former fruit picker from Gayndah pleaded guilty in Gympie Magistrates Court via video link on Friday to an aggravated contravention of a domestic violence order.

“One witness saw you grab the victim by the ear and abuse her before you punched her in the upper body,” she said.

“The other witness saw you hit the victim and knock her to the ground and observed you slam the aggrieved face into the witness’s vehicle a number of times.”

When she managed to free herself she drove away erratically and crashed into a pole, Ms Ellis said.

He then dragged her from the crashed car before kicking and kneeing her a few times as well as hitting her head against the pole the car crashed into, she told the court.

Police were unable to assess whether the numerous injuries to the woman’s head, neck, arms and legs were caused by the attack or the car crash.

The court discussed a nine-page criminal history starting in 1998 and how this charge came after a year and half without offending, during this time he worked various jobs, one being a fruit picker in Childers.

Defence lawyer Chris Anderson said his client was intoxicated, unemployed and in poor mental health when the incident occurred.

The 42-year-old was sentenced to 24 months jail, counting 228 days as time served, with a parole eligibility of September 1, 2023.