Nathan Gus Vaevae, 31, of Marsden cops suspended prison sentence for disgusting assault

A tradie told his ex she had three seconds to lick the blood off her lips after he viciously bashed her while she was driving, a court has heard.

A violent offender has narrowly avoided actual imprisonment for bashing a woman until she bled while she was driving and threatening to “chop” up her family.

Nathan Gus Vaevae, 31, of Marsden, appeared in Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Tuesday, April 12.

He pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm among other charges.

The court heard on September 15, 2019 Vaevae was a passenger in his ex-partner’s car when he twice struck her with the back of his fist while she was driving and issued a threat, saying: “Who the f*** do you think you are, you treat me like a dog. Do you want another one? There is more to come. I want to give you a black eye.”

A prosecutor noted the disgusting attack featured a considerable degree of malice.

“He has then told the victim she has three seconds to lick the blood off her lips and started counting,” police prosecutor Sergeant Donna Kay said.

“Your Honour, that shows not only a level of violence but also of control over the victim.”

Nathan Gus Vaevae, 31, of Marsden leaves Beenleigh Magistrates Court. Picture: Marcel Baum.

According to police, Vaevae on another occasion threatened to chop up the victim’s family.

The threat was aggravated for the defendant’s past extreme violence against the victim’s father, the court heard.

Vaevae was previously sentenced for knocking out the defendant’s father and continuing to bash the unconscious man with a metal bar in 2017.

“They are considerable threats with a background of extreme violence against the victim’s family,” Sergeant Kay said.

It came on the back of a criminal history that included a 2018, 12-month prison sentence with immediate parole release for other offending, according to the prosecution.

Defence solicitor Tayler Bowdren said her client’s court matter was significantly delayed due to lengthy medical investigations into his mental health.

Ms Bowdren noted Vaevae was in 2018 diagnosed with schizophrenia, had been temporarily found unfit for court but was now under a formal treatment plan with regulated injections.

She acknowledged an abuse of illicit drugs had also affected his behaviour in the past.

The court heard the defendant had since not committed any violent acts, lived with his family in the Gold Coast and worked in scaffolding with his father.

Vaevae’s acute mental health issues were taken into account when he was sentenced to 15 months’ prison to be wholly suspended for 2.5 years.

He was further fined $450 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Convictions were recorded.