‘Volatile’ Redland Bay tiler causes ‘life-changing trauma’ shattering woman’s teeth with punch

A woman “treated worse than a dog” has described how she is viewed as a drug addict after suffering significant dental damage at the hands of a former partner.

A man who a court heard treated a woman “worse than a dog” and “like a punching bag” will remain behind bars after punching his victim so hard surgeons had to remove fragments of teeth from her gums.

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The 50-year-old Redland Bay man, who can’t be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to five breaches of domestic violence orders and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm (domestic violence offence) among other charges when he appeared via video link at the Cleveland Magistrates Court on Friday.

The court heard the carpenter and tiler had exposed his partner of five years to a “cycle of violence” since 2017 and “had every domestic violence order under the sun” in place against him to protect the woman.

The court heard the man’s offending would follow a routine of him showing up unannounced at his victim’s residence where he would get drunk and “become agitated”.

The court was told the man had since 2017 variously called the woman “nothing but a c**t”; threatened to headbut her; ripped out her hair while smashing her head into a couch; stopped her from leaving her own property and spat in her face.

However, it would be a “significant offence of violence” on May 8 that would cause his victim to suffer what the court described as life-changing trauma.

Generic image of an arrest. Picture: Police Media

Having accused his victim of cheating on her, the defendant threw a single punch that shattered the woman’s teeth and would require thousands in dollars of dental repair.

In a deeply affecting moment the woman walked to the prosecutor’s table where she described how she could no longer apply for work and was looked upon in public as a drug addict, owing to the dental damage she suffered.

The woman said she dreaded the day of the man’s release “when he will come after me” and told the court he was a “volatile man with no regard for the law” who had “defiled” her and ostracised her from friends and family.

Defence solicitor Kate Fuller said her client had a good work history, had apologised to his victim, had accompanied her to the dentist and helped pay for treatment.

Ms Fuller said the defendant, who had spent 116 days in pre-sentence custody under particularly onerous remand conditions, was determined to pay for the remaining dental treatment faced by the woman.

Despite this, Magistrate Deborah Vasta said she feared the man would continue to pose a risk to women.

“You have a real problem with control and dominance and I am concerned you are just going to move onto the next victim,” magistrate Vasta said.

“You have left a wake of destruction in your past”.

The man was ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution and was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with a January 6 parole date.

It was further ordered that any sensitive images be removed of his victim from his mobile phone.

A conviction was recorded.