David Patford, 53, threatened woman with taser, pleads guilty to assault

A Norlane man who picked a woman up for a late night rendezvous later threatened her with a taser and assaulted her when she wouldn’t leave.

David Patford leaves the Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday

A boilermaker who threatened and assaulted a woman he picked up for a late-night tryst has been warned by a magistrate he was a “hair’s breadth” away from jail.

David Patford, 53, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to charges including assault with a weapon, possessing a prohibited weapon without exemption and unlawful assault.

Magistrate Franz Holzer convicted Patford, placed him on a 24-month CCO and fined him $1000 over the incident.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Denise Frame told the court that at 2am on August 26, Patford picked the victim up from her home in Corio and took her back to his Norlane home for a sexual encounter.

The woman stayed at his home until 3.30pm the next day, when an argument broke out after Patford wanted the victim to leave.

During the argument, the court heard Patford grabbed a black taser and pressed the button, making it audibly zap, scaring the victim.

Constable Frame told the court Patford told the victim: “Get out or I’ll tase you”.

Patford then grabbed a yellow torch, and after further argument, the torch fell to the ground. The victim hit Patford in the head with it.

In the altercation that followed, the court heard Patford “sat” on the victim, pressed his elbow into the side of her neck and punched her in the head three times.

Police were called by the victim and they found her on the ground outside Patford’s house, crying.

She was treated for pain to her head, but not hospitalised. No victim impact statement was provided to the court.

The taser was found inside, and Patford admitted to police he threatened the woman with it, but denied other aspects of what happened.

M Holzer had Patford assessed for a community corrections order (CCO) warning him: “It’s either that or jail, the stark choice is yours and yours alone.”

Patford was found suitable for a CCO.

Mr Holzer told Patford he would be supervised for the duration of the order due to the seriousness of the offending.

“I want you to do some hard yards,” Mr Holzer told Patford.

Patford’s lawyer, Matilda Jones, told the court her client was on WorkCover insurance and expecting surgery to correct a hernia in the coming weeks.

She said his focus had always been on work, but he was unable to because of the hernia, which had caused him stress. 

Originally published as David Patford, 53, threatened woman with taser, pleads guilty to assault