Paul Ronald Capner stomped on ex’s face in ‘out of control’ assault

A Goulburn man has admitted to being ‘out of control’ when he followed his ex to her hide-out, threw her against a wall and stomped on her face.

A Goulburn man was “out of control” when he threw his partner to the ground and then stomped on her face during a violent assault.

Paul Ronald Capner, 43, appeared in Goulburn Local Court last Wednesday after pleading guilty to entering a property without permission, destroying property, and assault.

Capner, an unemployed painter, had just broken up with his partner when he visited her house at around 9.20am on April 17, 2021. Court documents reveal he had visited the house numerous times over the past few days and made the occupants of the house feel stressed.

He came to the door and demanded to see his partner, saying he had to see her immediately. When he was told his ex wasn’t at the house, Capner went around the back of the house and began banging on the back door. According to court documents, he threatened to “make a commotion” if his ex didn’t appear.

His ex agreed to come outside if he stopped. According to court documents, Capner was impatient.

“Hurry the f*** up,” he told her.

Paul Ronald Capner was jailed for trespass after following his ex to her hide-out to assault her. Picture: Facebook

She went to walk with him and he grabbed her by the throat with both hands and pushed her against the wall behind her, forcing her head to bang against the wall twice.

He then dragged her by the collar to the top of the stairs at the rear of the house and pushed her down them. Throughout the ordeal, he was yelling and asking her why she had walked out on him and why they weren’t together.

He slapped her in the face and punched the side of her head while she cried out. He then threw her to the ground and continued to yell at her while he stomped on her face. He walked away and left her lying on the ground.

Despite the victim being unwilling to make a statement, CCTV had captured both audio and visual proof of the violent attack.

A few days later on April 20, the victim called her sister because she was scared of Capner and fearful for her safety. She was collected by her sister and taken to her house, where she asked her sister to lock her inside the house to prevent Capner from getting to her.

At about 2pm, the victim’s sister got a call telling her Capner was trying to break down the door and called the police. Police arrived and noticed severe damage to the security door. Capner was arrested on April 20 and has been in custody since then.

Paul Ronald Capner appeared in Goulburn Local Court last week.

The court heard Capner has previously served a sentence in 2016 for serious domestic violence. Capner’s lawyer said his client has used his time in custody to consider his behaviour.

“He’s been reflecting since he’s been in custody,” he said.

“My client accepts his behaviour is out of control.”

He said Capner accepted his actions were at the “higher range of criminality” and has shown remorse at the earliest available opportunity.

Police prosecutor Peter Robinson argued the presence of a child in the house at the time of the assault was an aggravating factor for the “matters of serious personal violence”.

“The conduct for the assault falls at the highest end of what could be brought under that charge,” he said.

Magistrate Geraldine Beattie agreed the offences were “significant” and noted Capner’s criminal history, which includes time spent in jail for assault.

“This is you not accepting the break-up of the relationship,” she said.

She sentenced Capner to full-time imprisonment for 18 months with a 13 month non-parole period.