Stephen James Stanek sentenced over knife attack on ex-partner

A thoroughbred horse trainer turned gas field worker, found guilty of ‘cruel’ and violent acts of domestic violence while armed with a large knife, has been spared from serving time behind bars.

Stephen James Stanek has been sentenced in Toowoomba District Court.

A former Darling Downs thoroughbred horse trainer who attacked a former partner while armed with a large knife, has been sentenced to a suspended jail term.

On October 1, after a trial before the Toowoomba District Court, a jury found Stephen James Stanek guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, threatening to kill the woman, and property damage.

The southwest Queensland gas worker, 41, was found not guilty of one count of strangulation and assault occasioning bodily harm, which related to a separate alleged incident.

Stephen James Stanek during his trial before the Toowoomba District trial, where he was found guilty of violently attacking a woman.

During the trial, the court was told the Maryvale man accused the woman of stealing from him after she ended the relationship, which led to him holding a knife to her chin and threatening to kill her.

He told her no one would notice she was gone, nobody would miss her, and he would take her body into a paddock and feed her to pigs.

During the protracted assault, he repeatedly hit her with the blunt side of the knife, and smashed her computer equipment because she “wouldn’t need it anymore”.

A neighbour burst into the home and detained Stanek until police arrived.

Earlier that day, the court was told Stanek was drinking champagne and scotch after returning from his fly-in-fly-out job, and had been speaking to friends about women who steal.

The Warwick man, Stephen Stanek, plants to live at Maryvale and care for his father, who was at court to support him.

The sentence was adjourned to Thursday, October 9, for Stanek’s legal team to gather medical material regarding his blood cancer diagnosis and associated health concerns, to show jail would be more onerous on him than the usual offender, which the Crown conceded should play a role in the way his term of imprisonment was structured.

Stanek had spent a total of 15 days in custody, which occurred following his arrest and after the jury returned its verdict.

The court was told Stanek assumed he lost his job working as a machine operator for a gas company, because he failed to show up to work, with no notice, following his trial.

Judge Vicki Loury KC told Stanek she was not surprised the jury had found him guilty and urged him to address any underlying issues, like alcohol misuse.

Judge Loury said although the woman had only suffered minor injuries, it would have been a terrifying situation, especially given the level of cruelty of the assault.

Stanek was sentenced to a suspended jail term, two years, in October 2025.

Judge Loury said there were a number of mitigating features that impacted his sentence, which included his health, his limited and unrelated criminal history, and that while on bail, he didn’t reoffend.

While on bail for a lengthy period of time, the court was told Stanek was subject to strict conditions, including an electronic monitoring device, which affected his relationships and prevented him from getting a new partner.

She said although Stanek’s life expectancy was good following his blood cancer diagnosis and toe amputation, he needed regular monitoring and was at a high risk of getting blood clots.

Stanek was sentenced to a two-year suspended jail term, and the 15 days he spent in custody were declared time served.

Originally published as Stephen James Stanek sentenced over knife attack on ex-partner