Nathan Simpson: Dubbo builder pleads guilty to domestic violence assault, leaving victim bloodied

What started as an argument over setting up a Xmas tree ended in a Dubbo builder assaulting a woman. Here’s the full story.

Nathan Simpson appeared in Dubbo Local Court.

A verbal argument turned physical has seen a Dubbo builder dob himself into police after throwing his partner to the ground and leaving her with a laceration to the face.

Nathan Simpson, 37, appeared in Dubbo Local Court on Wednesday, supported by his mother and father, as he pleaded guilty to domestic violence related assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

According to agreed facts tendered to court, Simpson and the victim were in a relationship for 11 months and on the evening of December 1 when “setting up their Christmas tree” the pair began arguing.

It was revealed Simpson had consumed two bottles of beer and the victim had two beers and a bottle of Moscato before the argument.

After leaving the lounge room to go outside to have a cigarette, Simpson was sitting in the living room when another person “kicked him in the leg”, prompting the 37-year-old to say “don’t f**king kick me”.

Nathan Simpson was handed a community corrections order on Wednesday.

The other person told the victim who yelled at Simpson who became “angered” and “removed [a] screen door … before putting [it] back in place”.

The pair continued the argument before Simpson “attempted to gather” his belongings to leave, but the victim followed him around the house.

A short time later in the kitchen when they were “in each other’s faces”, Simpson became “extremely agitated and in a blind rage” he grabbed the victim and pushed her onto the tile floor.

“[Simpson] landed on top of the victim and continued to hold her down for a few moments,” agreed facts reveal.

“[He] has stated during this time he may have had his arm on the victim’s throat momentarily.”

It was later revealed the “impact of hitting the ground” caused the victim to start bleeding after sustaining a large laceration to the side of her head. She also had “bruises to her throat”.

When outside the house, Simpson was told he had “blood on his ear” and he later told police “this is the first moment he realised the seriousness of his actions”.

Simpson then assisted the victim, helping clean blood drops on the floor, telling her to go to hospital and apologising before leaving.

He later attended Dubbo police station on his “own free will to hand himself in”.

Police later checked on the victim who was “quite distressed”.

The victim shared “a similar version” of events to Simpson, however told officers she wasn’t pushed to the ground and that she had fallen over and hit her head.

In court on Wednesday, Simpson’s lawyer accepted the offending was serious, although noting it was “reactionary”.

“In my submission this is not a planned attack by any means. [It was] entirely reactionary,” she said.

“It does not cross the section five threshold (when there is no other alternative sentence for the court other than jail) [but] I accept that it is skirting the line.”

Ms White told the court her client had made “considerable efforts on his own rehabilitation” since the offence and had significant support from his family.

Magistrate Gary Wilson pointed out the offence occurred “14 days ago”, to which Ms White detailed Simpson’s commitment to addressing his anger issues.

When asked whether the offence crossed the threshold for imprisonment, police prosecutor sergeant Michelle Bartlett said “I strangely enough agree with my friend … I don’t think it’s quite there”.

Magistrate Wilson handed Simpson an 18-month supervised community corrections order.