Danielle Dewhurst attacks partner on holiday in Nelson Bay

A Dubbo woman has learnt her fate after drunkenly lashing out at her partner during a coastal getaway, leaving him with lacerations to his face.

A Dubbo woman has learnt her fate after drunkenly lashing out at her partner during a coastal getaway, leaving him with lacerations to his face.

Danielle Dewhurst, 32, appeared in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday after she was arrested and charged on April 17 with domestic violence related assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Documents tendered to court reveal Dewhurst has a “history of reported and unreported domestic violence incidents to police”.

She and the victim had been in a relationship for approximately 12 months when the incident occurred while the pair were staying at Le Vogue apartments on Magnus Street, Nelson Bay.

Danielle Dewhurst appeared in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday. Photo: Facebook

About 4.30pm on April 17, Dewhurst was heavily intoxicated when she made sexual advances to her partner, becoming angry after they were rejected.

She left the location, attending the nearby Seabreeze Hotel, where she sent the victim “several aggressive text messages”.

About 6pm, the victim left the apartment and found Dewhurst walking back from the hotel, taking her back to the accommodation.

Once back, Dewhurst began yelling insults at the victim, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and throwing it against the kitchen wall. It broke, shattering upon impact with Dewhurst then punching the victim in the face.

“That’s enough, no more,” the victim said.

Dewhurst locked herself in her room, and at 8.30pm the victim asked if he could get his phone charger, to no avail.

The victim used a coat hanger to unlock the door, collecting the phone charger, as Dewhurst then started to “kick and punch” him as he was leaving the room.

Police facts reveal Dewhurst “laid three to four blows to the victim’s face” and due to wearing rings with stones, it caused minor lacerations on impact and nose bleeding.

Dewhurst’s behaviour continued, shouting in anger, slamming doors, and accusing the victim of having her phone while demanding money so she could leave.

She left the unit, pressing intercom buttons for other units, seeking for someone to call the police, claiming she had been assaulted.

A resident responded, calling police and coming to the aid of Dewhurst.

Police met Dewhurst at the front of the apartment complex, introducing herself as Elizabeth Smith, denying any wrongdoing and claiming no knowledge of what police were alleging.

However, police quickly identified that Dewhurst was in fact involved in the domestic incident, assisted by other residents.

Police then spoke to Dewhurst again, obtaining details, revealing that she had consumed liquor prior to the incident and officers did not observe any visible injuries on her.

Dubbo Local Court.

The victim was also spoken to by police with photographs taken of the injuries sustained from the assault.

Dewhurst was subsequently arrested and taken to Nelson Bay Police Station and entered into custody where photographs were taken of her hands which appeared to be “red and swollen around the knuckles”.

On Wednesday the court heard from Dewhurst’s lawyer, Laurence Suckling, that a community corrections order would be appropriate.

Mr Suckling told Magistrate Theresa Hamilton he believed the section five threshold - where a court must not sentence an offender to imprisonment unless no penalty other than imprisonment is appropriate - had not been crossed.

While accepting that there were “various types” of offending on his client’s record, he said similar offending “makes up a smaller portion”.

Mr Suckling said Dewhurst struggled with her mental health at the time of the offence, noting that she was significantly affected by alcohol, and said the court should be cautious when factoring in the “amount of force” written in the police facts, because the jewellery worn by Dewhurst increased the damage.

“She accepts that her offending is wrong and wants to improve herself,” Mr Suckling said.

Magistrate Hamilton noted Dewhurst’s early plea of guilty, but made particular mention of “several incidents” which took place on the night of the offending.

However she described the offence as just above the lowest form of bodily harm.

A sentencing assessment report read by Hamilton said Dewhurst hasn’t shown “much insight” into her behaviour, and referenced an “inability to regulate her emotional needs”.

However Magistrate Hamilton did not believe the section five threshold had been crossed, handing Dewhurst a community corrections order for 15 months with supervision by Dubbo Community Corrections.

She was also given 80 hours of community service.