Andrew Martin Cooke pleads guilty to assault and damaging property

A 48-year-old metal worker has been compared to a teenager after smashing a glass door causing pieces to cut his victims face.

A sheet metal worker who threw a gas bottle smashing a glass door has been compared to a 14-year-old in court.

Andrew Martin Cooke pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court on Tuesday to common assault and destroy or damage property.

According to police facts Cooke was with the victim, his partner of two years who he had been drinking alcohol with through the day and night.

On May 20 they were sitting on the outside veranda when about midnight he fell asleep and the victim told him to go to bed.

An argument started.

Out of fear the victim took herself inside, taking his car keys due to his intoxication.

This angered him causing her to lock all the doors, locking him outside.

According court documents, Cooke then took a 9kg gas bottle and threw it at a glass sliding door causing it to shatter, while she was standing just one metre away.

A piece of glass hit her cheek, causing her to bleed.

Police attended at 12.30am where they spoke to the victim and saw the glass and gas bottle.

Cooke was located nearby and he refused to interview.

Magistrate Peter Bugden in court questioned why a 48-year-old with almost nothing on his record was “acting like a 14-year-old.”

Defence lawyer Mark Boys said Cooke had alcohol issues and was under a lot of stress before the incident.

He told the court he had not intended to hurt the victim and had since paid for the glass repair.

Mr Bugden warned Cooke he had seen a murder where someone had broken a glass window and the glass had sliced their neck open, saying Cooke should be thankful this had not happened.

He convicted and sentenced him to a 12 month community corrections order.