Paul Cameron Franz in court for assaulting a woman

A Gympie man who slammed a sliding door into a woman’s body before dumping the contents of a watering can over her and hitting her in the head with it faced the court this week.

A 45-year-old Gympie man was fined $800 in Gympie Magistrate Court on Monday for assault.

The court heard Paul Cameron Franz met his partner online and had been in a relationship with her for six and a half years when the assault took place.

Police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said that on February 28, 2022, the couple returned home after several drinks about 6pm, and were arguing.

The argument intensified when Franz discovered the victim had not hung up some washing, and he proceeded to throw her clean laundry into the dirt, then grabbed her shoulder and her neck.

The court heard the woman moved away, telling him to “get off me, I’ll call the police if you touch me again,” to which Franz replied,“F---- off, I’m here doing the laundry.”

The woman then called Franz a “woman basher”.

The court heard the verbal exchange continued until he grabbed her again and said “call me a woman basher” to which the woman shouted “get off me” repeatedly.

When the woman walked through some sliding doors to water plants on the front patio, Franz seized a watering can from her hands and dumped the contents over her, before hitting her in the head with the empty can.

When she tried to go back inside, he slammed the doors closed on her. The woman got free of the door and went inside, saying “just stay away from me please.”

He followed her inside, grabbed her again where she yelled “don’t touch me, let go of me, you’re hurting me” repeatedly. He let her go and said “I’m not even touching you”.

The court heard that when the victim said she was leaving and told him to get out of her way, he threatened to hurt her.

Police were called, and Franz was taken to the police station.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan said Franz’s behaviour was “appalling”.

Franz was fined $800. A conviction was recorded.