Bowen domestic violence victim charged with trespass, wilful damage

Her face was ‘in tatters’ and she returned to the place she thought she still lived, then a situation unfolded that ended with her being charged with her own offences.

A Bowen woman suffered domestic violence and when she was released from hospital, an incident unfolded that resulted in her facing her own charges. Photo: File

A Bowen woman’s face was “in tatters” from severe domestic violence and was released from hospital only to suffer “further domestic violence” when she was denied entry to the place she thought she lived, a court heard.

But it was the woman who wound up facing Bowen Magistrates Court charged with her own offences after she was refused entry by her former partner’s mother.

Police prosecutor David Epstein told the court the 23-year-old woman went to the house in January where her former partner’s mother repeatedly told her she was not welcome.

The Bowen woman still entered the house and then repeatedly slammed herself into a bedroom door.

Her former boyfriend was on the other side of the door, bracing it to stop her getting inside.

Mr Epstein said the door became bowed and cracked.

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The woman on Tuesday pleaded guilty to wilful damage and trespass.

Lawyer Jake Burke said the woman had been in a relationship with the man and suffered serious abuse, for which he was facing charges.

This included suffering a head injury that caused her to have seizures, a broken eye socket, broken nose and other severe injuries.

Mr Burke said the woman was discharged from hospital and then tried, while her face was “in tatters” because of the violence, to return to the place she thought she still lived.

Mr Burke told the court the woman was then the victim of “further domestic violence” when she was not able to get inside the house to get her belongings, including her bag, purse, clothes and other items.

The court heard the house was owned by her former partner’s mother.

A woman faced court for trespass and wilful damage. Photo: File

“My client had not met this woman (her former partner’s mother) before and did not know who she was, so it was quite a shock to see this woman at the house prohibiting her from gaining entry to somewhere she lived for such a long time,” Mr Burke said.

“In her distraught and distressed state after suffering those serious injuries she can acknowledge she made a poor decision to enter and try and claim her property forcefully.”

Mr Burke said the woman was still young and was in part-time employment.

During sentencing, Magistrate James Morton told the woman he took into account the state she was in, but said when someone said she was not allowed inside then she needed to listen.

The woman was placed on a $500 good behaviour bond for six months and ordered to pay $400 restitution.

Convictions were not recorded.

“Some people out there are not worth the headache and he is one of them,” Mr Morton said.

Originally published as Bowen domestic violence victim charged with trespass, wilful damage