Victoria Point man follows fleeing partner into police station car park to deflate her tyres

The sanctity of a police station car park did little to discourage a tree lopper’s fury at his fleeing partner when he attacked her vehicle and tried to deflate her tires while threatening to burn down her house.

A tree lopper who terrified his fleeing partner by blocking the road with his vehicle; trying to run her vehicle off the road; forcing her to drive through a red light and attempting to deflate her tyres while she was parked inside a police station car park has been blasted for his “mind-blowingly stupid behaviour”.

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Zachary Francesco Luppino, 25, pleaded guilty to a string of charges including an aggravated offence of contravention of domestic violence order, driving without due care and attention, obstructing police, trespass and wilful damage when he appeared at the Cleveland Magistrates Court yesterday.

The court heard Luppino had an “irrational” reaction to his partner driving a friend to a house on September 26 by getting in his own vehicle and attempting to block their progress.

A police prosecutor said a terrified witness and passenger with his partner called triple-0 when the defendant “drove in such a manner that they believed he wanted to drive them off the road”.

The ordeal on Redland Bay Road, later described by Luppino to police as feeling “like a race”, included him swerving in front of his victim, forcing her vehicle through a red light and driving perilously alongside her.

The court was told Luppino’s harassment of his victim continued when he followed her vehicle into a Redland Bay Police Station car park off limits to the general public.

Zachary Luppino. Picture: Facebook.

Once there, a police prosecutor said, Luppino boxed in his partner’s vehicle which he proceeded to punch and kick – causing damage to panels – and threatened to burn his victim’s house down.

The prosecutor said of especial alarm was the defendant’s interference with his victim’s vehicle which included removing air caps on tyres in an attempt to immobilise it.

The court heard the man’s alarming behaviour was captured on CCTV footage and diverted Redland Bay Police Station officers from a call-out in Cleveland to return with lights and sirens activated to the station.

Supported yesterday at court by his parents, Luppino hid at their Victoria Point property on September 26 following the incident, where his father would refuse police entry, even threatening to put a dog on officers.

The court heard Luppino’s father was subsequently charged with and convicted of obstructing police.

Defence solicitor Aaron Wilson said it was clear his client had “unclarified mental health issues which jumped off the pages” of two letters, one from a psychologist and another from a psychiatrist which he tendered to the court.

Mr Wilson said Luppino also suffered from ADHD, had immediately apologised to his victim and had participated in multiple previous relationships without any such offending.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta said she was well aware of the “toxic relationship” between the defendant and his victim which led to his “mind-blowingly stupid and irrational behaviour” on the day of the offence and acknowledged that he suffers from severe depression and anxiety.

Luppino, who the court heard had a two-page traffic and drug history, was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service and sentenced to two years’ probation.

He was further ordered to complete the Queensland Traffic Offenders Program and a men’s counselling program.

A non-contact order was issued to both Luppino and his victim prohibiting them from coming within 100 metres of one another.