St George Magistrates Court: A father high on drugs slits his throat to control his partner

The man would use threats of and actual self-harm as a way to dominate and scare the woman, the St George Magistrates Court heard.

A man pleaded guilty in the St George Magistrates Court to six counts of contravening a domestic violence order, possessing drugs and obstructing police.

A father landed himself behind bars after he slashed his own throat while high on drugs, in an attempt to control and scare his partner, St George Magistrates Court heard.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told his partner he would self-harm in order to “control” her and make her do certain things before actually carrying out some of the threats.

“All in all, it was controlling and threatening behaviour,” police prosecutor Chris Hutchins told the court.

“Ultimately, the cause of his conduct, besides poor behaviour in threatening self-harm, was to create control and remorse to ask her to do certain things.

“While some were threats, he actually carried it out by cutting his throat.”

The 37-year-old father’s solicitor Ross Finlayson said the reason his client behaved the way he did was due to his drug intake.

“Most of the damage was done to himself by himself, threatening to kill himself and damage to property,” he said.

“He wants to maintain a relationship with his children and stay away from drugs.”

Both Sergeant Hutchins and Mr Finlayson agreed the man, who had spent close to three months in pre-sentence custody, should be placed on a lengthy probation order to combat his drug and anger issues.

The man, who appeared via videolink form jail, told Magistrate Kerri O’Callaghan he intended to move to northern New South Wales once he was out of jail.

He pleaded guilty to six counts of contravening a domestic violence order, and one each of possessing dangerous drugs and obstructing police. The 37-year-old was placed on probation for two years.

If you are struggling, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.

24 hour Domestic Violence Helpline 1800 811 811.

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