Frances Walter Cook jailed for stalking, choking former Rockhampton partner

A woman who was twice stalked, along with being choked and assaulted, by her former partner is so scared of retribution she sought a 10-year restraining order.

A woman who was twice stalked, along with being choked and assaulted, by her former partner is so scared of retribution she sought a 10-year restraining order.

A woman who was twice stalked, along with being choked and assaulted, by her former partner is so scared of retribution she sought a 10-year restraining order.

Frances Walter Cook, 62, had called his ex 112 times between 11pm on August 30 and 8.30pm August 31, before she turned off her phone on August 30, 2023, Rockhampton District Court heard on November 28, 2024.

Crown prosecutor Arielle Spiteri said Cook made a further 206 calls – a total of 318 calls in a 24 hour period which all went unanswered – before he went to her residence at 2am on August 31, ripped the fly screen off her bedroom window and reached through, grabbing the mattress and pulled it towards him.

“She (the victim) was asleep inside a caravan,” she said.

Ms Spiteri said Cook yelled at the victim “who have you got in there?” before he ripped off the screen.

Once his arm was inside the van, it knocked over her television before he managed to grab the mattress.

“He somehow came in possession of her phone and then as she snatched it back, he dropped it,” Ms Spiteri said.

She said there was a verbal argument until Cook left but he returned at 7.30am and they argued again.

This was after he had choked her on a prior occasion and assaulted her on another – both of which Cook was also being sentenced for last week.

The choking took place sometime in 2020, while there was a protection order in place, after Cook pushed the victim backwards on to a bed.

“(He) used his fingers to dig into her neck around either side of her oesophagus (and) he started to squeeze and she was not able to breathe,” Ms Spiteri said.

“While he did that, she began to see stars and felt as if she was about to lose consciousness.

“She tapped the defendant on his arm and he stopped choking her.”

Two years later, sometime in August, Cook accused the victim of cheating on him with his next door neighbour and punched her, causing her to fall to the ground.

Cook, who has criminal records in four Australian states for aggressive violent behaviour, had previously been sentenced to seven months prison for throwing a chair at her and stomping on her twice, causing a laceration to her head in December 2019.

There was a second stalking/harassment/abuse offence which took place over the Christmas period that year.

Cook sent the victim a Facebook friend request and 10 days later, he drove past her home looking towards her house.

He drove past again the following day, this time stopping to look inside.

Cook drove past again on January 2 and had the window down in his car and could be seen on her CCTV looking at her house.

The victim, who is a disability support worker was at a public venue with a client later that day when Cook pulled up in a car park nearby and looked towards her.

Ms Spiteri said the victim quickly left.

“As a result of those five acts, she was again fearful for her safety, and she feared losing her job because of his conduct,” she said.

“She fears retribution upon his release.”

Ms Spiteri said the victim’s fear is escalating because Cook has not respected court orders in the past which was why she asked for a 10-year restraining order rather than the normal five-year period.

Judge Jeff Clarke described Cook’s behaviour as carrying out surveillance of the victim and carrying out “320 acts of stalking”.

He said the victim, in her impact statement, says she is still constantly scared for her safety.

“Now, even after all this time, she wakes to noises,” Judge Clarke said.

“She feels as if she is trapped where she sleeps.

“She has difficulty talking about the offending.

“It causes her to become emotional and to cry.

“That has impacted her ability to work as a support worker, especially given that she’s trying to help people who themselves have been impacted by trauma.

“She’s had the financial impost of having to purchase those security cameras… which have night vision ability so that she can see when you’re there at all hours of the day and night.

“She’s also had to fix the damage that you caused to her caravan.

“She’s concerned that you will act out of retribution or revenge for her complaining because you have threatened to do that in the past.”

Defence barrister Julie Marsden said her client, who had three children with his former wife of seven years, had grown up in Victoria.

She said he had undertaken, but not completed, a welder and boilermaker apprenticeship and went on to work in fabrication.

Ms Marsden said Cook had worked most of his adult life until a motorbike accident, and because of this as well as psychological issues, he could no longer work.

The court heard Cook has been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, depression, anxiety and schizoaffective disorder.

Cook pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking, harassment or abuse; one of common assault and one of choking.

Judge Clarke sentenced him to three years prison to be suspended after serving 14 months with an operational period of five years.

He declared 304 days presentence custody as time served on the sentenced and granted the 10-year restraining order.