Gregroy James Sams: Coke addict imprisoned for choking mum of his five kids returned to reign of terror upon release

A Logan man who chased his new girlfriend through their house, dragging her by the hair and headbutting her in the face, has been jailed following another assault.

A cocaine addict from Logan who choked the mother of his five children was found guilty in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Friday of further assaulting his former girlfriend and a random pub goer.

Gregroy James Sams, 39, appeared via video link from custody to plead guilty to 11 charges, including assault occasioning bodily harm, wilful damage and possession of dangerous drugs.

The court heard Waratah-born Sams had been in a relationship with the mother of his children since 2002.

According to defence lawyer Paul Hamilton of Anderson Fredericks Turner, the relationship between the two soured in 2015 when Sams’ mother passed away by suicide and he turned to methamphetamine and cocaine to cope with his grief.

Gregroy James Sams pleaded guilty to the charges, which included assault occasioning bodily harm against his girlfriend at the time.

“It came as a shock and he didn’t take it well,” Mr Hamilton said.

Three years later, in February 2018, Sams was found guilty of choking his long-term partner at the Beenleigh District Court and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Upon his release Sams took up with a new woman.

The police prosecutor described a particularly violent argument that occurred between the two on March 2, 2019, when Sams began hitting his new girlfriend on the side of her head with his shoes.

The woman tried to protect herself, covering her ears and trying to push him away, but the resistance seemed to antagonise Sams further.

Sams shoved the woman against the wall so hard it left a dent in the drywall, then followed her as she ran into the kitchen, grabbing her hair, twisting it and using it to push her to the ground.

Sams appeared via video link at the Beenleigh Courthouse.

“You can’t get away now, can you?” Sams said, according to the prosecutor.

The woman stamped on Sams’ foot to make him lose his grip, then rushed to collect her belongings for a quick escape.

As she packed, Sams smashed her phone and her watch, then violently headbutted her, causing significant bruising above her eye.

She managed to make it into the front yard with her bag, where she cried and screamed for assistance from the neighbours.

Police and paramedics were called to the scene.

Sams’ aggression was not solely directed at his romantic partners.

On June 30, 2019, Sams was using cocaine and drinking heavily at the Windaroo Tavern when he got into an argument with another pub patron.

The court heard he lunged towards the other man and grabbed him around the throat.

A security officer intervened, preventing the victim from sustaining any physical injury, and Sams stormed off, kicking over a popcorn vending machine and striking a wooden frame, causing damage to the wall.

During a search of his home on September 19, 2019, police found Sams to be in possession of 4.11 grams of cocaine, 1.9 grams of methamphetamine, drug utensils, and a replica gun.

Mr Hamilton told the court that since assaulting the woman named in the 2019 charges, Sams had reunited with the mother of his children, who was present in court to demonstrate her support.

Sams was given a head sentence of 15 months imprisonment, with 202 days of pre-sentence custody served and immediate parole release.

Sams will remain in custody, however, until his bail application hearing for a further five charges at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on April 19.