South Burnett man sentenced for attempting to ‘gouge out’ ex’s eyes, tearing out her hair

Kingaroy District Court heard the South Burnett man grabbed his ex-partner by her throat and tried to ‘gouge out her eyes’ in one of several vicious attacks.

In one of several vicious attacks against his ex-partner, a South Burnett man grabbed a woman by her throat and attempted to gouge out her eyes, a court heard.

Standing before the Kingaroy District Court, the 32-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to breaching a probation order he was sentenced to last August.

The breach included six offences, including three assault charges against two victims and three counts of contravening his domestic violence order.

The breaching offences occurred over a two-day period in December, resulting in a two-year prison sentence imposed by the Murgon Magistrates Court, Crown Prosecutor Christa Nicola said.

The court heard on December 15, 2020, the defendant arrived at his ex-partner‘s home and began spraying water into the house through open windows and yelling derogatory terms before hitting her in the mouth.

He continued his terror the following day when he followed his ex-partner and her friend to their car.

He rushed toward the ex-partner‘s friend and struck her, inflicting a 6cm long gash on the back of her head.

Later in the day on December 16, he returned to the ex-partner‘s home, this time “grabbing her by the neck with his left forearm” and trying to “gouge out her eyes”.

Ms Nicola said he then grabbed a hold of her hair and pulled a large clump out.

The December offences breached a probation order imposed by Judge Nicole Kefford last August, bringing the defendant back before the district court.

The original offences brought before Judge Kefford date back to April last year, where he was sentenced for entering a dwelling, threatening violence, common assault, and a number of possess dangerous drug offences.

“He was smashing the glass sliding door and yelling at the ex-partner,” Ms Nicola said.

“He then went outside, retrieved a fence paling, kicked open the door causing damage, and then ran towards the occupants yelling at them, raising the paling.”

For the April offending he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, which was suspended for 18 months after five months had been served.

He was subject to an 18-month probation order for the common assault offence.

The defendant was represented by Catherine Cuthbert.

Ms Cuthbert said her client had previously responded well with the probation authorities in terms of his attendance and engagement in the programs.

“(The defendant) has a pattern of abstaining from alcohol, then binge drinking and then offending,” she said.

“It’s a situation where he’s demonstrated he can engage with probation and parole, and if he stays off alcohol he has a better chance of not reoffending.”

For breaching the probation order, Judge Glen Cash QC activated the balance of the defendant’s suspended sentence from August and re-sentenced him for the April assault charge, resulting in an additional six-month prison sentence to be served concurrently.

Both sentences are also to be served concurrently with the two-year imprisonment order the defendant is currently serving, imposed in the magistrates court.

Having already served 134 days in custody, the defendant‘s parole release date was scheduled for October 16 this year.