James Scott Hayes in court for strangulation
A Gympie court has heard how the partner of a pregnant woman put a rope around her neck, put the rope up on a beam above and pulled on it so as to lift her off the ground, all the while yelling ‘die you c---, die you dog’.
Police & Courts
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A man who tried to hang his pregnant partner was released immediately on parole from Gympie District Court on Monday after pleading guilty to strangulation, wilful damage and supplying drugs.
James Scott Hayes had been held in pre-sentence custody for the past 18 months after he was arrested for strangling his partner with a rope in October 2021.
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The 29-year-old appeared calm as he was escorted into the courtroom by police.
He was covered in tattoos, including an RIP tattoo on his upper lip.
His extensive criminal history, including burglary, drugs, assault and dangerous driving was discussed in court.
It heard he had started taking drugs when he was 11 after his father died, leaving his mother with seven children and had been in and out of custody as an adult.
Watching the sentence in court was the complainant, who, aged 21 at the time of the incident was unable to give a victim statement as she was “too terrified” and had been seeking psychiatric help, the court heard.
She was there for “closure,” crown prosecutor Alex Stark said.
Hayes and the complainant had been in a relationship for three years when it became volatile while she was pregnant with his child around August 2021, Mr Stark said.
Mr Stark told the court how a neighbour saw the incident when they got into an argument at their unit on October 25, 2021.
Hayes came outside and kicked the door; the complainant said nobody cared about her and she wanted to kill herself, Mr Stark said.
“He responded, ‘okay, I’ll help you’, and put a blue and yellow rope around her neck, put the rope up on a beam above and pulled on the rope so as to lift her off the ground yelling, I quote, ‘die you c---, die you dog’,” Mr Stark told the court.
He continued to tell the court how the neighbour reported hearing choking noises before Hayes let the rope go and walked away. The complainant was left with red marks around her neck and did not appear to lose consciousness.
Hayes’ account to the police fluctuated between saying he was helping the pregnant woman hang herself and that he was trying to stop her from hanging herself, Mr Stark said.
“Strangulation is a very serious example of domestic violence offence,” Judge Katherine McGinness said.
“Your behaviour was callous, degrading and showed no care or love for the person in your life who is supposed to be the most important person to you.”
Hayes was sentenced to 12 months jail for the charges of drug supply, with a parole date of May 3, 2023.
For the strangulation, he was given 187 days, which he had served in pre-sentence custody, with 365 days taken into account, but not declared, and a parole date of May 3, 2023.
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