Homes by Howe director Brendan Howe admits assaulting pregnant wife

A builder once spruiked by the Governor-General told his wife she should “worship the f--king ground I walk on” during an abusive marriage, which left her living in fear.

Canberra builder Brendan Howe arrives at the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday. Picture: Blake Foden

An award-winning builder once spruiked by the Governor-General has been exposed as a domestic violence offender who assaulted his pregnant wife, at one stage referring to his unborn child as “that little c--t inside of you”.

Brendan Lionel Howe’s now former wife laid bare the impact of his “shameful and devastating” abuse on Wednesday, telling the ACT Supreme Court she lived in fear of him for years.

The victim described crying in a police station car park for half an hour before going inside to report Howe, in a step she likened to “lighting a match and setting your own life on fire”.

“You watch it burn before your very eyes and all the while you are absolutely terrified of what’s to come,” she said in a powerful victim impact statement.

Howe, 35, is the director of Canberra company Homes by Howe, whose clients have included Governor-General David Hurley.

Brendan Howe with Governor-General David Hurley and the latter's wife, Linda, in a since-deleted Instagram post. Picture: Instagram

Mr Hurley, who is not accused of wrongdoing, apologised in 2022 for making “a mistake” after he faced public backlash over his appearance in a testimonial for Howe’s company.

He said he had not believed any reference would be made to his position and that he had not received any benefit for his appearance, which he had made in a private capacity.

Brendan Howe, right, outside court with solicitor Michael Kukulies-Smith. Picture: Blake Foden

Howe markets his well-known firm online as “an award-winning custom home builder trusted by Canberra families”.

But after he pleaded guilty this week to four domestic violence charges, this masthead can reveal the builder’s own family life was far from idyllic.

The offences, committed between 2018 and 2022, were aggravated common assault, property damage and two counts of common assault.

Agreed facts show the first assault occurred when the victim took one of the couple’s dogs away from Howe to stop him squeezing its pimples.

The ACT Supreme Court, where Brendan Howe appeared on Wednesday. Picture: Blake Foden

Howe responded by pushing her against a cabinet.

“I pay for those dogs, so I’ll do whatever I f--king want,” Howe admitted telling his ex-wife during that incident.

The second assault was a verbal one that occurred in October 2021, when Howe screamed “I’m going to f--king kill you” at the victim.

A few weeks later, in November 2021, Howe committed the property damage offence by striking and denting a kitchen door.

On the last occasion, in September 2022, Howe came home intoxicated while the victim was 34 weeks pregnant.

He pushed her up against their bedroom door and, with his hands on her shoulders, screamed in her face.

“If you and that little c--t inside of you can’t see that I’m the boss and when I wanna f--king talk about something, I’m gonna f--king talk about [it],” Howe ranted, according to the agreed facts.

“She’s gonna know that and you’re gonna know that.

“I rule the roost of this house. You should worship the f--king ground I walk on.

“You’re a f--king bitch. You’re a mutt. I’m the boss.”

The victim reported Howe to police in November 2022, when he was arrested and granted bail after a night in custody.

On Wednesday, the victim said Howe “could go from zero to 100 at the drop of a hat”.

She told the court she had wondered, during the final assault, “what if this is the end?”

“There wasn’t a day I didn’t crumble onto the shower floor in tears after that night in September of 2022,” the victim said.

“I was completely broken and beyond stressed.”

Prosecutor David Swan urged the court to impose a jail sentence of some sort.

Mr Swan said Howe had demonstrated “a lack of victim empathy” in a letter to the court and comments to a report author, which called into question “the fullness of his remorse”.

Defence barrister Murugan Thangaraj SC argued the threshold for a jail sentence had not been crossed.

He conceded Howe was still on the path to rehabilitation, but noted the 35-year-old’s prospects had been assessed in positive terms.

Justice Louise Taylor indicated she planned to hand down a sentence on Thursday morning.

She described Howe’s letter “carefully worded”, saying he seemed to be “walking a very fine line between accepting responsibility and a failure to nominate exactly who he caused hurt and distress to”.