Geoffrey Robert Close: Man repeatedly punches girlfriend in head during horrifying attack

A father with a history of domestic violence offending has faced the Warwick court after he repeatedly struck his partner’s head before grabbing her by the throat and leaving her needing hospital treatment.

A man who repeatedly punched his former girlfriend in the head before grabbing her by the throat in a horrifying assault has narrowly avoided a stint behind bars.

Warwick Magistrates Court heard that a heated argument broke out between Geoffrey Robert Close, 41, and his partner at the time at a Chermside home in September last year.

The conflict escalated until Close violently lashed out, punching his victim twice on each side of her head and then putting his hands around her neck, only releasing her when she told him the police had been called.

He was arrested at the scene and later charged, with the assault complaint coming to light after the woman was forced to seek medical treatment for ongoing pain she suffered as a result of the attack.

A police search also uncovered 1.7g marijuana belonging to Close at the time of the assault.

The Warwick court was told Close had also racked up a string of charges in 2019, only months after receiving a suspended jail sentence that was still in effect at the time of this earlier offending.

He was busted with another small amount of marijuana in Toowoomba in October that year, and went on to breach his bail conditions twice and fail to appear in court in the following weeks.

Defence lawyer Hamish Chapman said his client was no longer in a relationship with his victim, but would likely need further assistance in rehabilitation.

“All in all, the presence of domestic violence offending as well as substance misuse seems to be a longstanding issue for him,” he said.

“I appreciate that a suspended sentence is a little bit of a long throw in circumstances where he’s already in breach of a suspended sentence, but these offences for which he does breach (it) are bail offences and things of a like nature.”

Close pleaded guilty to two counts each of possessing dangerous drugs and breaching bail, and one each of common assault and failing to appear.

He was sentenced to nine months’ jail with immediate release on parole and fined $600.