Brent William Logan sentenced for terrifying choking attack

A Sunshine Coast father who strangled a woman in a jealous rage avoided more prison time thanks to his victim’s “sympathetic” statement.

A Sunshine Coast father who kicked down a door and strangled a woman has avoided more prison time after his victim issued a generous statement.

Brent William Logan, 32, was sentenced to 18 months in jail in Maroochydore District Court on Friday after he pleaded guilty to five domestic violence charges including two counts of common assault and one of choking.

The court heard Logan was fuelled by jealousy when he choked a woman so much she felt faint and lost her vision during the attack.

“(He) grabbed her with both hands and squeezed lifting her from the floor,” Crown Prosecutor Alex Stark said.

The attack happened in Maroochydore on June 13, 2021.

He said Logan had kicked down a front door to strangle the woman.

“He kicked it twice gaining entry by breaking the door frame and locking mechanism,” Mr Stark said.

He said the woman was trying to get Logan to leave when he pulled her from a driver’s seat of a car.

“He grabbed the back of her neck and arm and pulled her from the vehicle,” Mr Stark said.

Logan who was 31 at the time of the attack also kicked the woman in the leg before police arrived.

Mr Stark said the victim had a “sympathetic” attitude and wrote a victim impact statement that described the assaults as having a positive effect on her life.

He said a prison sentence between 18 months and two years with an immediate parole release date was appropriate.

Brent William Logan was sentenced to an 18 months in prison in Maroochydore District Court on Friday after he pleaded guilty to five domestic violence charges including two counts of common assault and one of choking. Picture: Social media.

Barrister Mark Dixon said the former Mountain Creek High student’s offending was described by references as being “out of character”.

“(It) was the end of a number of years of increasing drug use …,” Mr Dixon said.

Mr Dixon said Logan, who made admissions to police, fell into using drugs after the death of three friends.

“That lead to him associating with a different crowd, engaging in ice use which led to a deterioration in his behaviour,” he said.

He said the father had been drug free since his release on bail on August 28, 2021 and had made “substantial inroads” on his rehabilitation.

The court heard Logan, who worked full-time as a concreter had started the Men Choosing Change program and had sought additional counselling sessions to solidify his drug relapse prevention strategies.

Mr Dixon said Logan was remorseful for his actions and asked for a 18-month prison sentence to be suspended.

The court heard Logan spent 73 days in custody before he was granted bail with strict reporting conditions.

Judge Glen Cash said Logan had a lengthy criminal history of drug matters, but had never been convicted of a violent offence.

Mr Cash said the attack would have been “terrifying” for the woman and suspended the 18-month prison sentence for 18 months.

Logan’s 73 days of pre-sentence custody was declared as time already served.