Luke Noel Bunn convicted of assault and intentionally choking a person without consent

The victim was able to flee the location after telling the accused they were going to the bathroom to wash blood from their face.

Luke Noel Bunn, 37, appeared in Grafton Local Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges of assault and intentionally choking a person without consent.

A Coutts Crossing man hit his victim with a plastic tent pole while trying to convince them to stay and work out their problems, a Court has heard.

Luke Noel Bunn, 37, appeared in Grafton Local Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges of assault and intentionally choking a person without consent.

According to Court documents, an argument between Bunn and the victim deteriorated into physical assault where Bunn “grabbed the victim around the neck momentarily” before slapping them several times to the left side of their head, face, and shoulder.

The victim began to strike out at Bunn, hitting him several times around the face and chest to get him to let go. Bunn pushed the victim to the floor, collected a small plastic pole believed to be used in a child’s indoor tent, and struck the victim across the upper part of the thigh, the agreed Police Fact Sheet states.

After agreeing to “stay to work this out,” the victim told Bunn they wanted to go to the bathroom to wash the blood from their face. After doing so, the victim collected their immediate belongings, exited the house and got into their car parked in the driveway.

The Fact Sheet states that Bunn approached the driver’s window, reached in, and pulled the victim’s bag until it broke, then removed their bank cards and house keys from the bag. “The victim fled the location,” the fact sheet states.

The victim, who attended Grafton Police Station that afternoon, sustained bruising to their right shoulder, minor lacerations to the inside of their top lip, swelling to the left ear and side of their face.

Police contacted Bunn who agreed to meet them at Grafton Police Station where he was arrested later that evening.

During sentencing, Bunn’s defence submitted that he had indicated “a level of remorse” for his actions, suggesting that the recent death of a family member played a role in his state of mind at the time of the offending.

“While I can’t suggest his actions were appropriate, at the time, he just wasn’t thinking straight,” Bunn’s solicitor said.

Reflecting on the documents presented in this matter, Magistrate Kathy Crittenden agreed that “this conduct is genuinely out of character for you” but that it was “an extremely serious case of domestic violence.”

Bunn was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month Community Corrections Order which includes an order to complete domestic violence education.