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Father of three sent his ex 60 messages, called 17 times over belief she was breaching COVID rules

He believed his partner was breaching social distancing rules so messaged and rang her dozens of times despite a court order preventing him from contacting her.

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A man who was believed his former partner was breaching coronavirus restrictions texted her 60 times and called 17 – when he was banned from contacting her at all.

The man, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to breaching a domestic violence order.

The court heard the man and his partner were subjects to a domestic violence order from February this year that ordered he be of good behaviour, have no contact with her and stay at least 100 metres from her house.

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On Sunday, May 10, he sent more than 60 text messages and rang her 17 times.

The court heard the 46-year-old father or three believed his partner was breaching the social distancing health directions, which prompted his barrage of messages.

Magistrate Trevor Morgan described the man’s monitoring of his former partner’s behaviour as a “sort of surveillance” of her.

“You’ve had a bit of a meltdown. You made have felt justified at the time, but that doesn’t excuse breaching the domestic violence order,” Mr Morgan said.

The man was placed on a $1000 good behaviour bond for 12 months. A conviction was not recorded.

Mr Morgan told the man he would be “far, far, far” better served to not breach the order and “spend the money on the kids rather than give it to the government”.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/north/father-of-three-sent-his-ex-60-messages-called-17-times-over-belief-she-was-breaching-covid-rules/news-story/1644dd8da5acd30d28d7b066c971a12d