Money blamed for Stanthorpe man’s explosive outburst

THE 53-year-old called the woman a c--t before throwing a tea towel at her face.

HANDS OFF: The Stanthorpe man was threatened to slap is ex-partner after a financial dispute.

A DOMESTIC dispute has quickly escalated into violence when a Stanthorpe man snapped, threw a tea towel at his ex-partner, and threatened to slap her in the face.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was at his ex-partner's home on May 29 when an argument about money broke out.

Stanthorpe Magistrates Court heard the pair had been hurling abuse at each other for some time before tensions boiled over.

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa said the man lightly slapped the woman in the face after calling her a c-t.

"She feared for her safety and called the police," Sgt de Lissa said.

Duty lawyer Clare Hine said the 53-year-old man was with the woman for about two years before ending the relationship.

Ms Hine said her client had no intention of hurting the woman when "touching" her face.

"It was more his intention to keep her away than to cause physical harm," Ms Hine said.

Magistrate Robert Turra was hesitant to dismiss the outburst, which was a breach of the man's domestic violence order.

"In personal relationships, we all have frustrations and it's how we deal with it," Mr Turra said.

"We cannot and you cannot react in a way that causes fear."

The man pleaded guilty to one count of contravening a domestic violence order.

He was fined $600 and no conviction was recorded.

 

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