Tweed junior rugby league coach sentenced for smashing victim’s phone in violent outburst

Neighbours called police just before midnight after they heard the man yelling at the victim and the sounds of smashing.

A Junior Rugby League coach has been sentenced for a domestic violence offence.

The coach of a junior rugby league team has been sentenced for a domestic violence offence.

The 40-year-old Banora Point man pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court on Monday to destroy or damage property, domestic violence related.

According to police facts, officers attended a Banora Point address on January 1 for an unrelated incident when the man arrived at the apartment.

Police noticed extensive crash damage to his car and he appeared to be moderately affected by alcohol with face and head injuries, which were consistent with being in a fight, along with a cut to his foot.

The man said he’d been hit by a car but would not provide further details and he was asked to stay out of the area while they continue the initial unrelated investigation.

Police spoke to neighbours, who said it was the defendant who yelled at the victim and intimidated her, and it appeared to be ongoing.

He returned to the unit at 9.25pm where ambulance were on location and treated him for an injury.

Police asked the victim if she was all right if the man stayed at the location and she said ‘yes’.

The same night police got a call from a neighbour at 11.45pm saying they heard the defendant yelling and heard the sound of smashing.

Police returned to the residence and at 1am saw the victim walk outside the unit. She appeared frightened but denied anything happened.

The man came outside the unit before returning inside to light a cigarette on a toaster.

He told police they had a heated argument before he was taken to the station to be served an AVO and said “serious” to the victim as he walked past her.

The victim later said the man had started yelling at her after they left and he took her iphone and smashed it on the floor and continued to hit the phone against the floor until it smashed and was inoperable.

She said she was scared of the man and he became aggressive when intoxicated.

She declined to make a statement and the man denied smashing the phone.

The man’s lawyer told the court the self-employed concreter was a volunteer coach at a youth rugby league club.

He said the his client had provided the victim with $600 to replace the phone and they were no longer in a relationship.

The defence said the man was seeing a psychologist and was unlikely to reoffend as he had taken steps to address the offending.

Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy described the offending as an “angry outburst”.

He noted the man’s lack of similar criminal history and positive character references and convicted and fined him $500.