International events organiser’s descent into drugs, homelessness and violence

From kicking goals managing events at the Commonwealth Games, to kicking his girlfriend violently in the stomach, this is how a north Brisbane man lost it all.

Drugs and depression have dragged a former events manager from Commonwealth Games glory to homelessness and domestic violence, the Sandgate Magistrates Court heard today.

The 47-year-old north Brisbane man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to nine charges, six of which involved the contravention of a domestic violence order.

Possession of dangerous drugs, obstructing a police officer and breaching bail made up the remainder of the charges.

The court heard that between May 22 and November 21 the man repeatedly breached the order by kicking in his girlfriend’s car, leaving several indents, then escalating to kicking her in the stomach, leaving deep purple bruising visible for days after the fact.

The order initially prohibited the man from going to his girlfriend’s home without her written permission, but after a number of domestic violence incidents witnessed by the woman’s children, the order was changed to prevent him from attending the property at all, regardless of what the woman said.

This culminated in a standoff with police on November 21, when a routine patrol noticed the man’s car parked outside the woman’s Bald Hills home.

Police knocked on the door and heard footsteps, then the turning of the lock.

They continued to call out for 25 minutes, then threatened to force entry for fear the woman was in danger.

Finally, the woman relented by opening the door and telling police the man was hiding in the bedroom wardrobe.

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Police located him under a pile of clothes, and after a significant physical struggle that saw one officer’s earpiece destroyed, the man was finally detained.

The court heard the man had once been a successful events manager who helped to organise two Commonwealth Games.

According to his lawyer, he’d fallen into a deep depression after he separated from his ex-partner and could no longer see his young daughter, which ultimately led to his downfall.

The man was sentenced to three months imprisonment with immediate parole eligibility.