Jordan Jack Lowien sentenced in Rockhampton District Court for domestic violence offences

A young man has avoided going behind bars despite choking his former partner and threatening to kill her in a string of ‘serious’ offences. Here’s what unfolded in court.

A court has heard the “incredibly serious” details of a man’s attacks on his former partner, all happening when he was just a teenager in a “drug fuelled” relationship.

Jordan Jack Lowien, 22, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton District Court on Monday to a number of offences including one count of choking, making threats and two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

Charges also included offences of common assault and wilful damage, all as domestic violence offences.

The incidents happened on four separate occasions between June and September 2018, and Lowien was 18 at the time they happened.

One of the incidents involved Lowien smashing his former partner’s phone and then pulling her by her necklace making her fall to the ground.

He then knelt on top of her and put his hand around her neck, before crying and apologising for what he did.

On another occasion Lowien was the passenger in his former partner’s car when they started arguing before he punched the windscreen causing it to shatter.

Later that same day when Lowien’s partner was sitting on the bed upset, he walked in holding a knife where he threatened to slit his throat telling her it would be her fault.

He then leaned towards her and used the knife to stab the mattress a number of times, at one point almost stabbing her leg.

Lowien then threatened to kill her.

The final incident, which happened in September 2018, saw a further escalation in his offending.

When Lowien and his former partner were holidaying in the Gold Coast, Lowien pushed the victim onto the bed after they had checked into the hotel.

She kicked out at him before he knelt on top of her and choked her so she couldn’t breathe, he also told her he would kill her.

The choking caused several small bruises to her neck and petechiae, which are spots caused by bleeding under the skin, near her eye.

He also kicked her in the ribs.

Lowien then apologised to the victim for what he had done, telling her the voices in his head told him to do it.

After she accepted his apology he then punched her in the face giving her a black eye.

Crown prosecutor Clare O’Connor told the court the matter was originally set down for trial, but some negotiations between the prosecution and Lowien’s defence team meant the matter could proceed with a plea.

Ms O’Connor said while Lowien was young and had no criminal history, the use of the knife and the threats he made to kill his former partner were “serious”.

A victim impact statement that was submitted to the court from the victim outlined how she suffers emotionally and has “depressive” symptoms, and has days where she struggles to get out of bed.

Ms O’Connor submitted that with Lowien’s youth and lack of criminal history in account, a sentence of between two and a half and three years imprisonment was within range with a parole release earlier than the one third mark.

Lowien’s barrister Phil Hardcastle submitted a sentence between two and two and a half years was in range with an immediate parole release.

Mr Hardcastle said his client had obtained work in the concreting industry and had not breached any court orders between when he was charged and sentencing.

He said Lowien did not become involved with drugs until after he received a payout from being involved in a crash when he was a teenager and that his father was currently behind bars for drug related offences.

Mr Hardcastle said the relationship was “drug fuelled” and Lowien’s brother and now girlfriend had helped him get off the drugs and rehabilitate.

Judge Jeff Clarke took into account Lowien’s plea of guilty and that the matter no longer needed to go to trial.

Judge Clarke described Lowien’s offending as “quite confronting” and he had exposed himself to up to seven years imprisonment.

“This was protracted conduct by you and it is quite confronting that you, at such a young age, could conduct yourself in such a serious criminal way and treat this other human being in this way,” he said.

“Sadly, the sort of behaviour you have engaged in is particularly prevalent in the community.

“Following the ‘not now, not ever’ report designed to address the prevalence of domestic violence in the community, this provision of choking in a domestic setting was introduced by parliament because it is seen as a predictor to people committing homicide in domestic violence cases.

“It’s been demonstrated to be a clear escalation in domestic violence offending, here the chronological way that you controlled and intimidated and committed acts of domestic violence certainly would seem to indicate that very thing.”

Lowien received a head sentence of two years and three months imprisonment, with a number of shorter terms to be served concurrently.

He was given an immediate parole release and the knife was forfeited to the crown.