Nathan Charles Bowditch pleads guilty to violent attacks on wife

A woman has ongoing nightmares after her husband of 23 years unleashed a violent attack including punching her repeatedly and pressing his thumbs into her windpipe.

Nathan Charles Bowditch pleads guilty to violent attacks on wife in February 2023.

A drunk father of two stood over the still form of his sleeping wife before he unleashed shocking violence, punching her at least six times in the face.

Four days later he pushed her against the airconditioning unit of their Sarina home with his hand around her throat and pressed his thumbs into her windpipe.

“She finds that she is always looking over her shoulder feeling like you’re still there,” Judge Jennifer Rosengren said, reading from the woman’s victim impact statement.

“She has ongoing nightmares.”

The couple had been together for 23 years when the offending occurred in February 2023 amid a marriage breakdown, Mackay District Court heard.

On February 20 she had been trying to go to sleep, while Nathan Charles Bowditch had woken up, drunk and “argumentative”.

“You stood on the side of her bed, bent over and you punched her in the area of her eye and nose at least six times,” Judge Rosengren said.

Nathan Charles Bowditch pleads guilty to violent attacks on wife in February 2023.

The court heard he caused extensive swelling and bruising to her face.

“You then told her she deserved it,” Judge Rosengren said.

The court heard the victim stayed in her bed for the next 90 minutes because “she was scared of you”.

“What a terrible, terrible thing for your life partner to have to feel,” Judge Rosengren said.

“She pretended to be asleep when you came back into bed and then you fell asleep.”

Four days later when she came home from Bowditch yelled at her because she did not answer his text messages.

“After she got out of the car you strangled her, you pushed her up against an air conditioner and you pushed your thumbs into her windpipe,” Judge Rosengren said.

Nathan Charles Bowditch pleads guilty to violent attacks on wife in February 2023.

“She felt dizzy and also felt immense pain.”
The court heard she tried to push him off using her car keys but he persisted.

“Just as she felt like she was going to lose consciousness you released your hold on her,” Judge Rosengren said.

The court heard for the next 48 hours she could not swallow properly and had pain.

Bowditch returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.17 per cent.

He told police he did not remember trying to strangle his wife and that she had been trying to get a divorce.

Barrister Sheridan Shaw said the offending happened under the influence of alcohol and in the context of a marriage breakdown, while conceding that was not excuse.

Bowditch, 40, on December 1 pleaded guilty to the assault causing bodily harm and strangulation, both as domestic violence offences.

He has spent nine months and one week in custody on remand; the court heard he had been deemed too much of a danger to his victim to be released.

“Can I tell you just how heartbreaking is it is sit in court day in, day out and watching men treat their wives in this way,” Judge Rosengren said.

“I do accept your early guilty plea.”

Judge Rosengren said it was “not only surprising but concerning” that this offending occurred against Bowditch’s clean criminal history.

“She had an absolutely right to feel safe and respected and cared for by you as her partner … even in the context of a relationship breakdown it is the most gross abuse of trust,” Judge Rosengren said.

Bowditch was jailed for two years with immediate parole and the 280 days in custody was declared time already served. Convictions were recorded.