Ipswich region man sentenced after filming violent choking attack on his partner

A man who threatened to slit his partner’s throat with scissors before putting her in a chokehold, until she blacked out, filmed the attack while their baby was in bed metres away.

A man who threatened to slit his partner’s throat with scissors before putting her in a chokehold until she blacked out filmed the violent attack while their baby was in bed just metres away.

Even worse, a friend of the man watched the February 24 attack, a court has heard.

The 29-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the woman and their child’s identities, was dealt with in Ipswich District Court on Tuesday, almost 10 months on from the horrific ordeal.

The court heard the man became angry at his partner for waking him up to help care for their baby while he was sick.

Crown prosecutor Andreas Galloway said the man began “chastising” the woman for how she dressed their baby and for putting too many toys in the cot.

He climbed onto their bed and shoved his partner to the ground, causing her to hit her head, the court heard.

He told her she was not allowed to sleep on the bed. When she tried to grab her things and go into another room he told her she was not allowed to sleep but had to clean the house.

The man taunted her, raising his fists and swinging at her, but the woman raised her arms to defend herself and said “I’m not going to fight you.”

The fight escalated and the man yelled at the woman about how she cared for their daughter before saying “I’m going to choke you to death.”

Mr Galloway said another male who was at the house began laughing at the woman when she called her partner a “dumb dog”, angering her more.

The woman’s partner continued to insult and verbally abuse her before he grabbed her by the shoulders and kneed her in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain.

“Toughen the f--- up,” the man said.

He continued to berate the woman and called her a bad mum, while filming the ordeal on his phone.

“ … keep calling me a dumb dog, I’m going to choke you out,” he said.

The woman called him a “dumb dog” again and he wrapped his hands around her head, grabbing her in a chokehold and lifting her off the ground, while still filming.

The woman lost consciousness and dropped to the floor.

Mr Galloway said when she came to, the woman fled to another room and called police.

They arrived to find her on the driveway with marks on her face and neck.

Police recorded the footage on the man’s phone using a bodyworn camera and he was taken to the Ipswich watch house.

The court heard the man co-operated with police and told them what happened.

However Judge Leanne Clare said the facts suggested he told police believing he was “justifying” his actions.

Judge Clare said the man seemed to think the attack was “understandable” because she had “dared” to answer him back.

After spending 279 days in presentence custody, the man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to choking – domestic violence offence, two counts of common assault – domestic violence offence and two charges of contravening a domestic violence order.

Defence barrister Justin Thomas said the man had no history of domestic violence offending and said the footage recorded on the day of the fight demonstrated “an absolute loss of control.”

Mr Thomas said the man’s frustration had got the better of him and he was embarrassed by his actions and now genuinely remorseful.

He submitted that the man would benefit from a period of supervision and would undertake a domestic violence course.

Judge Clare asked the victim, who was in the courtroom, what she thought.

The woman agreed he should participate in a domestic violence course and “get the help he needs” so it did not happen again, and so he could “redeem” himself.

Judge Clare said the offending was a protracted and dangerous assault on a “particularly vulnerable” woman.

She said the man was subject to a domestic violence order which was supposed to protect the woman, but within three months the man had deliberately choked her, made threats including to murder her, and filmed the attack.

She said the man exhibited aggression and controlling behaviour and had been “irrationally” angry, threatening to slit the woman’s throat with scissors.

The man used enough force while choking the woman to put her life in danger, in the context of domination, humiliation and intimidation, Judge Clare said.

She said the presence of the couple’s baby and the man’s friend did not deter him.

“Choking is an attack on what may be the most vulnerable part of the body … the difference between life and death can be marginal,” she said.

“(The) capacity to squeeze the neck of a partner is a red flag.”

She said it meant the perpetrator was marked as a danger or risk of doing worse in future.

Judge Clare gave the man a head sentence of three years and declared 279 days in presentence custody as time served.

She set his parole release date at January 24, 2022.