Illawarra tradesman Paul Veenstra charged with break and enter, intimidation

A grandfather is charged with multiple offences against a woman after he allegedly headbutted her, broke into her house, hit her with a wooden pole and chased her with a shovel.

Paul Veenstra applied for bail in Wollongong Local Court on Monday.

An Illawarra scaffolder allegedly subjected his partner to a tirade of verbal and physical abuse across three confronting incidents, a court has heard.

The allegations against Albion Park grandfather Paul Jason Veenstra were heard in Wollongong Local Court on Monday where the 51-year-old lodged an unsuccessful bail application.

Veenstra is charged with 11 offences including breaking and entering, being armed with the intent to commit an indictable offence, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of common assault, intimidation, damaging property and four counts of contravening an apprehended domestic violence order.

Documents tendered in court state Veenstra was arrested after an incident on June 25 before being granted bail and allegedly breaching the Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO), further offending on October 16 and 18.

The court heard the June allegation stemmed from an argument involving Veenstra and the complainant who he was in the final stages of a short-term relationship with.

Paul Veenstra denied is charged with 11 offences. Picture: Facebook

The accused left before returning and allegedly headbutting the woman several times, knocking her to the floor.

The court heard the complainant sustained bruising to her left thigh and back.

Documents state Veenstra was arrested at Lake Illawarra Police Station on July 8 before being granted bail.

Three months later, the court heard, Veenstra allegedly broke into the woman’s house via a bathroom window before entering her bedroom and whacking her with a wooden pole.

Police allege the complainant begged him to leave as he stood over her. He allegedly walked to the kitchen and grabbed a butcher’s knife and stabbed a box of Coco Pops before leaving.

The offender allegedly broke into the woman’s house and stood over her in her bedroom.

Two days later on October 18, Veenstra allegedly called the woman 10 times demanding she return a book he claimed she had taken from his house.

In the afternoon the complainant went to the accused’s home with another woman and a man to collect her belongings.

Documents state the two others waited in the car as the woman walked inside where Veenstra allegedly offered her meth before pushing her in a wall and chasing her with a shovel – with a swing narrowly missing the complainant.

Veenstra was arrested by police before being denied bail by a registrar on Sunday and hauled before Magistrate Michael Love on Monday.

“I am surprised he got bail the first time,” Mr Love opined after Veenstra’s lawyer Matthew Ward began making submissions.

Mr Ward said the allegations against his client were “strenuously denied” and submitted if he was denied bail he would be in custody for more than a year as he “would not get a trial until at least 2026”.

Mr Love was not moved and agreed with the police prosecutor it was a “strong prosecution case” regarding “extremely serious allegations”, noting the first incident had been recorded.

Veenstra pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, damaging property and contravening an ADVO which are the charges relating to the July incident with the case set down for hearing in January.

The accused is yet to enter a plea to the other charges which will be mentioned in court on December 18.

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