Face-tattooed man admits ‘striking’ ex after secretly listening to her with doorbell
Heavily-tattooed Jacob Nyrhinen has admitted to assaulting his ex-girlfriend after he eavesdropped on her conversations via a secret video doorbell, and concluded she was seeing another man.
Illawarra Star
Don't miss out on the headlines from Illawarra Star. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Murder charges dropped following fatal Albion Park crash
- Terrifying moment shark ‘chases’ teens caught on video
A heavily-tattooed Illawarra man has admitted to hitting his ex-partner in the face and breaking into her home two days later, after secretly listening to her conversations through a video doorbell.
Jacob Nyrhinen, 35, whose face is covered in tattoos, faced Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to common assault and aggravated break and enter, after a terrifying attack on his ex-partner late last year.
While Nyrhinen and his partner broke up in 2015, they remained in contact and he kept some of his personal items stored at her Mt Warrigal home.
In September 2019, court documents revealed Nyrhinen began threatening his ex, sending her multiple abusive texts including “I’ll beat you” and “you’re dead”.
Before moving out of the home, Nyrhinen installed a video doorbell at his ex’s. In December, she noticed the doorbell sitting on a table as she walked into the house, and believed it was faulty, however, it was in working order, and was being used by Nyrhinen to monitor her conversations.
On December 11 last year he contacted his ex via mobile and began accusing her of talking on the phone to another man.
While on the phone she heard Nyrhinen at her front door before he started yelling “open the door or I’ll kick it in”.
Nyrhinen used a key to open the front door before grabbing his ex’s phone and calling her a “dog” and a “c**t”.
According to court documents, Nyrhinen continued to accuse his ex of speaking to another man, which she denied, saying “I’m not lying”.
The woman pleaded with Nyrhinen to leave her home, but he refused, and tried to call one of her friends multiple times without success.
The woman eventually tried to push Nyrhinen out the door before he struck her to the “chin, side of the head area”, causing her to fall to the ground.
The woman’s friend called back moments later, prompting Nyrhinen to admit he’d been listening to her conversations, asking “who’s she been speaking to”.
Her friend hung up the phone and called police, before she and the victim’s brother drove to the Mt Warrigal address.
Nyrhinen opened the front door when they arrived and his ex noticed he had a knife in his back pocket. She approached him and secretly pulled it out before ordering him to leave.
The 35-year-old returned to the home just two days later to find his ex had changed the locks to her home.
Nyrhinen began calling her before forcing his way into the home, breaking the lock and tearing the architrave from the wall.
The women told Nyrhinen he wasn’t welcome at the home but he again refused to leave. At the time, the woman’s friend was on the phone again, and called police after hearing a loud “bang”.
Police arrived shortly after and placed Nyrhinen under arrest, finding 0.87 grams of heroin in his backpack.
The 35-year-old remained in custody on remand until he was granted bail in the Supreme Court in February to attend a residential rehab program.
However, once at the rehab centre, Nyrhinen denied having a drug problem and on Wednesday sought a change in bail conditions at Wollongong Local Court to leave the program after two months.
Magistrate Jillian Kiely granted the application to vary bail, allowing him to reside with friends in Penrith.
He will remain on bail until his next appearance in the NSW District Court later this month.