Scott Matthew Lean: ‘If I can’t have you, no one can’: Logan abuser’s sadistic reign of terror

This man has spent decades tormenting women, including chasing a pregnant woman down the street with a hammer and threatening to put another in a body bag.

A sadistic Queensland man with an “appalling” history of terrorising women with knives, hammers and death threats was sentenced to a further four years imprisonment at the Beenleigh District Court on Wednesday.

Scott Matthew Lean, 42, appeared via video link from custody to plead guilty to 16 offences, including six counts of breaching a domestic violence protection order, one count of assault occasioning bodily harm, and one count of choking.

Scott Matthew Lean was told to never be in another romantic relationship, as he appeared incapable of treating women with respect.

“To describe his criminal history as appalling would be an understatement,” crown prosecutor Stephen Muir told the court.

Lean began offending in his later teenage years and fast amassed a long and sordid criminal history across New South Wales and Queensland.

The prior offending notably included 13 incidents of domestic violence in which four separate victims were abused.

Mr Muir recounted to the court Lean’s prior convictions for chasing one woman inside an RSL with a knife, threatening to burn another woman’s house down, and beating a pregnant woman in the middle of the street in Toowoomba.

Lean was on parole for the latter offence when he ran into his ex-girlfriend at their former home at Browns Plains on July 26, 2019.

The court heard Lean tried to force her to have sex with him and, when rejected, threatened to have the woman’s son bashed.

Lean went to the kitchen to grab a knife, causing the woman to fear for her life, during an argument at Browns Plains in July 2019.

As the argument escalated Lean made his way to the kitchen to retrieve a knife, telling the woman, “If I can’t have you, no one can”.

Fearful for her life, the woman ran into the bedroom, where she sat on the bed, called her friend and pleaded for assistance, telling them Lean was going to kill her.

Lean approached and punched the woman in the head, on the left eye, the left cheek and on her mouth.

As she lay on the bed, screaming at him to stop, Lean put his hands around her throat and squeezed while asking her, “Why did you make me do this?”

“This is your last breath for the day,” he said, as read in the schedule of facts by Judge Craig Chowdhury.

The woman was so frightened she wet herself.

Lean appeared at the Beenleigh District Court via video link on Wednesday, April 28.

The crown prosecutor said the woman managed to escape and call police, who arranged for her to be taken to the Logan Hospital and assessed for severe bruising.

Unfortunately it was not the last she would see of Lean.

In August police were called to reports of a disturbance at the woman’s home and found her soiled and shaking from fear.

Lean had gained entry to the home to threaten her life once again, this time telling her “the only way (she’d) leave is in a body bag”.

The woman escaped by running down the street in full view of neighbours, while Lean was later found hiding in her wardrobe.

Lean was arrested and has remained in custody since, where he has served out the remainder of his prior conviction.

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The court heard he’d been heavily addicted to dangerous drugs at the time, having been a regular user of both methamphetamine and heroin.

While the judge accepted this was an explanation, he said it was certainly no excuse.

Judge Chowdhury said Lean’s behaviour constituted one of the worst cases of domestic violence he’d seen and warned him to never again enter into a romantic relationship.

“You can’t handle it, you only treat women with violence and aggression,” Judge Chowdhury said.

“Strangling and choking are a precursor to more extreme violence, including murder.”

Lean was sentenced to four years imprisonment with a parole eligibility date of February 17, 2022.

It is likely Lean will remain in custody for significantly longer, given the reported delays at the parole board.