‘Terrifying’ ordeal for Kallangur woman chased barefoot to servo toilets after DV breach

‘High-risk’ meth-addict handed a suspended sentence after a string of violent offences and DV breaches.

A violent high-risk offender was given a suspended sentence for a series of “terrifying” breaches of a domestic violence protection order.

The 29-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared from the watch house at the Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on Thursday to plead guilty to six charges, including three counts of breaching a DVO, two counts of breaching a bail condition and one count of obstructing police.

The court heard the order was granted at the Beenleigh Magistrates Court and prohibited the man from coming within 100 metres of his ex-girlfriend’s home at Kallangur.

DV perpetrator found guilty of chasing ex down the street, forcing her to hide in the servo bathroom.

According to police prosecutor sergeant Graham Turner, the man was banging on the back door of his ex’s home less than three hours after she rescinded permission, as per the court order, on February 10, 2020.

Fearful for her safety, the woman called police, grabbed her belongings and ran out the front door, just as the man managed to break in.

As she ran, the man yelled after her, calling her a “junkie” and a “crackhead”.

Police located the man a short time later inside the dwelling and a violent struggle ensued.

The man fought aggressively against arrest, to the point where officers had to use an electronic taser to subdue him.

He was taken to the Pine Rivers watch house and released on bail, but reoffended twice more before finally being brought back into custody.

The court heard the man returned to the woman’s home on February 24 and chased her as she ran barefoot down the street, seeking shelter in the rest room of a nearby servo.

Defence lawyer Jane Bruxner from KLM Solicitors told the court the man struggled with a long term methamphetamine addiction he’d acquired as a child, when he took meth to self-medicate his ADHD.

Magistrate Trevor Morgan said the breaches placed the man in the “high-risk range” and “fear of jail is the only way to control him now”.

“The circumstances of the breaches were understandably frightening, terrifying to the victim … and then he was placed on bail and did it again,” he said.

He was sentenced to four months imprisonment for each breach, to be served concurrently and all immediately suspended for an operational period of two years.