Violent abuser Hamilton Foster Saunders threatened to kill wife and ‘everyone around her’

The Brisbane man attacked the woman with a broom and threw a scooter at her father during a series of terrifying, rage-fuelled attacks.

A Brisbane man has pleaded guilty to violently assaulting both his former partner and her father during a series of drug-fuelled attacks.

Hamilton Foster Saunders, 33, appeared via video link from prison at the Brisbane District Court on Tuesday, March 30 when he faced 12 charges of an aggravated breach of a domestic violence protection order, one charge of serious assault of a person over the age of 60 and three counts of breaching his suspended sentence.

The court heard Saunders’ relationship with his partner started to disintegrate in 2018 when his addiction to methamphetamine recommenced in “a much greater way”.

The court heard the man struck the woman on the head and face and pulled her hair.

Saunders’ sister, Helena Higgins, noted in a reference letter tendered to the court Saunders’ behaviour became markedly more aggressive during the height of his drug use.

While on a suspended period of imprisonment for two counts of strangling another woman, Saunders violently breached the DVO by “smashing” his partner in the face and head, trying to hit her with a broom and threatening to kill her.

The crown prosecutor told the court that during one particularly horrific incident Saunders grabbed the steering wheel, as his partner was driving, and threatened to drive the car into oncoming traffic, killing both her and those around her.

Saunders’ anger even extended to his partner’s father, whom he seriously assaulted with a scooter.

The court heard Saunders swung the scooter at his father-in-law and, though the scooter itself did not make contact with the man, he was injured as a consequence.

Saunders’ was taken into custody following the assault and has remained there for the last 353 days.

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Barrister Tim Ryan told the court his client was ill-equipped to cope with the stress of his relationship, a problem that was further exacerbated by his ice-addiction which turned him into a paranoid and jealous partner.

Acting Judge East sentenced Saunders to six months imprisonment for 11 counts of the aggravated contravention of DVO and assault, and a further 10 months imprisonment for final count of aggravated contravention of DVO.

For the three charges of breaching a suspended sentence Saunders was ordered to serve the balance of the three year suspended sentence and given a parole release date of October 11.

All sentences are to be served concurrently.