‘I thought I killed you’: Geelong man Dylan Vetrone’s brutal assault of ex-girlfriend

A Geelong man assaulted his ex-girlfriend while she held their 14-month-old child, a court was told.

Dylan Vetrone pinned a woman down and held his hand over her mouth and nose. Picture: Facebook.

A Geelong man told the mother of his children “don’t think I won’t kill you” while he held her down and assaulted her.

After a birthday party for their young child in March this year, Dylan Vetrone pinned his ex-girlfriend down, drove his right elbow into her neck and put a hand over her mouth and nose.

When the woman was able to escape from his hold, Vetrone pushed her out of the house and smashed her phone.

Vetrone, who has spent the last nine months in custody on remand for the offending, pleaded guilty to the assault charges in Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The court heard Vetrone, 27, had previously assaulted the woman, with the first assault occurring in May 2018 after he smashed an upstairs window of her home and demanded to be let in.

The woman opened the door for him so he could calm down, but Vetrone grabbed a glass bottle and threw it at her face.

Dylan Vetrone threw a glass bottle at his ex-girlfriend while she was holding their 14-month-old child. Picture: Facebook.

The woman was holding their 14-month-old child at the time.

Police told the court the woman blacked out for a time and woke in a pool of blood to find Vetrone standing over her with the child.

Vetrone told her, “Oh my god, I thought I killed you”.

Officers arrived a short time later to respond to calls from neighbours but were unable to locate Vetrone or the woman.

When police arrived the next morning, Vetrone hid in a closet and told the woman he would kill her if she told them he was there.

Vetrone’s lawyer, Shane Balkin, said while the court should respond appropriately to the issue, “a meaningful and significant term of imprisonment has already been served by my client”.

“If he doesn’t know already how courts regard this sort of behaviour … he knows it now. He knows that it’s jail,” Mr Balkin said.

Police prosecutor Kylie Gray said the incident was “serious” and Vetrone has “taken no responsibility for the offending”.

Magistrate Simon Guthrie said Vetrone “doesn’t have a lot of regard for women” and noted the most recent offending took place after he completed a men’s behavioural change program.

“There was an attempt to address what was clearly not resonating in your head …(but) it didn’t stop your offending. In one view, it arguably escalated (the assaults),” Mr Guthrie said.

Mr Guthrie ordered Vetrone be assessed for a community corrections order ahead of sentencing later this month.

“There needsto be something in place when he gets out (of jail),” he said.

“His record to-date is appalling.”

Vetrone was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on December 19.

Originally published as ‘I thought I killed you’: Geelong man Dylan Vetrone’s brutal assault of ex-girlfriend