North Queensland man sentenced in Townsville District Court: Strikes toddler during shock domestic violence attack

‘I’ll be killing that b-tch in Townsville’ is just one of the horrific things a man threatened to the mother of his child after stabbing her and injuring his own child in the process. (WARNING: DISTRESSING)

North Queensland man sentenced in Townsville District Court: Strikes toddler during shock domestic violence attack

A toddler being held in the arms of his mother who was trying to get away from the man coming at them with a machete, was struck in the head during just one of the horrific attacks launched by the father.

The North Queensland man who cannot be named to ensure the protection of the child and the mother’s identities, appeared in Townsville District Court on Thursday morning, expressionless while the details of his disturbing offences were read aloud.

Crown prosecutor Rana Aldas said the offences occurred between October 20, 2021 and July 27, 2023 with one of the most concerning attacks deriving from the 30-year-old man having a bad dream about the woman.

“He stared at her and an argument started,” Ms Aldas said.

“She walked out of the house, picked up the four-year-old and he followed her.

“He picked up a machete and hit her over the head with the blunt side. In the process of hitting her, he hit the four-year-old with the machete.”

The toddler received a large cut to his head that became infected and had to receive medical treatment, according to the crown.

Ms Aldas said one of the first attacks the man was being sentenced arose from an argument about where the 26-year-old woman was sitting on the couch and he punched her in the face, locked her in a bedroom and stomped on her head.

“She was scared and thought she was going to die,” the crown said.

He then grabbed scissors and stabbed the woman in the shoulder which left a permanent scar, the court was told.

Only two months later an argument that started from the topic of finding a babysitter resulted in the man hitting the woman in the face with a frozen Vodka Cruiser bottle causing her head to bleed, said Ms Aldas.

It was in the following year the woman made a complaint to police as Ms Aldas said she wanted “it to end”.

‘Put her in the ground’

When police approached the man to provide a protection order he started to walk away and was ultimately arrested and during the arrest he yelled out to his mother who lived nearby and said, “You need to kill her, you need to bust her up”, Ms Aldas told the court.

She said while the man was at the watch house he also yelled, continuing to make threats about the woman, “Put her in the ground the dead dying sl-t” and “I’ll be killing that b-tch in Townsville”.

Defence barrister Ross Malcomson instructed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Legal Services said the man’s father died when he was young and while there was no domestic violence involved in his childhood he had started abusing alcohol and drugs.

Mr Malcomson said his client had been working in the laundry at Townsville Correctional Centre and agreed to engage with courses provided by the prison.

“They share a son, he wishes to have a relationship of substance with him but appreciates it’ll be restricted due to orders in place,” the lawyer said.

While handing down a sentence Judge Michael Williamson KC said the man’s punishment needed to deter him in the “strongest possible terms”.

The man pleaded guilty to nine charges that included assault occasioning bodily harm while armed charges, common assault and contravening a domestic violence order.

He was sentenced to four and a half years’ jail with a parole eligibility date of January 27, 2025 as His Honour declared the 441 days the man spent in pre-sentence custody as time served.

Originally published as North Queensland man sentenced in Townsville District Court: Strikes toddler during shock domestic violence attack