Borallon prisoner pleads guilty to breach of domestic violence protection order

An Ipswich magistrate has questioned how a prisoner was able to make more than 1000 calls to a woman who had a protection order in place.

A prisoner at Borallon Correctional Centre made threats including one that he was going to smash a woman’s skull during a series of phone calls made from the jail that breached a protection order.

Exactly how the father of three was allowed to make more than 1400 phone calls from jail was questioned by a horrified Ipswich magistrate when the man faced court this week.

Appearing from jail via video-link for sentence at Ipswich Magistrates Court, the 26-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to three charges of contravening domestic violence protection orders – aggravated offences.

The intercepted calls included phone messages and texts, many of which were described by the magistrate as “vulgar and hostile”.

The content refers to the woman as “a f***in’ mutt mate”, with the man stating, “when I get out I’m gunna smack the f*** out of her, hopefully she knows that”.

In another he says: “As soon as I get out I’m gunna smash her f***ing skull in mate”.

In agreed police facts before the court the offender made 1468 calls between December 1 last year and May 9 this year from Borallon.

Not all calls were to the woman but involved other family members, the court was told.

Defence lawyer John Wilson said the woman subject of the protection order was no longer in a relationship with the defendant.

He conceded that given the man’s history the appropriate penalty would have to be a jail order.

Mr Wilson said the first of the three offences before the court was more serious “given the most awful language used”.

He said the 1400 calls made by the man while in jail were to his estranged partner and others and captured on the Arunta prison telephone system.

An inmate at Borallon made more than 1400 calls between December and May. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

Mr Wilson said the man grew up in Rockhampton and instructed that he became addicted to ice at the age of 15.

The court heard that his full-time release date on his existing sentence was November 18. He would live with his mother at Edens Landing.

Magistrate Leanne Scoines said the man had significant history that included prior jail orders for domestic violence offending, and he had continued to offend while in jail.

“Even being incarcerated didn’t slow you down,” Ms Scoines said.

“You left messages on her phone. Some are shocking in nature, vulgar, hostile and expletive (ridden).

“Also disturbing is a phone conversation you had with your stepfather. You refer to ‘jumping all over the dog’s head’.

“There is extremely hostile anti-social threatening behaviour. It shows very little remorse when in custody.

“You lost your liberty, freedom as a result of this type of conduct, and you still don’t seem to get it that you are not to engage in this sort of conduct.

“I am surprised that you could access the Arunta phone system in the way that you did.”

Magistrate Scoines said the man had to understand that domestic violence orders were serious and he must abide by them.

She warned him that the use of ice was not good for anyone or for people like him who have issues managing their temper.

He was convicted and jailed for six months with parole set on November 18. He will also be subject to an 18-month supervised probation order.