Sam Messina: Former Farmer Wants a Wife contestant appeals domestic violence convictions

A disgraced former reality TV star – described as “controlling and abusive” – has made a bid to clear his name from violent actions against a former partner.

A disgraced former reality TV star convicted of punching and throwing his former partner around a room has been cleared of slamming a door on the same woman’s foot.

Samuel Christopher Messina, 27, who featured in the hit TV dating show Farmer Wants a Wife in 2020, was previously sentenced to an 18-month community correction order after a magistrate found him guilty of three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a defended hearing.

Magistrate Michael Ong took into consideration guilty pleas to charges of trespassing and intimidation when handing down his sentence earlier this year, and imposed a $350 fine for trespassing and ordered Messina to complete 150 hours of community service.

Messina, who lives in Orange, was heard to be “controlling and abusive” towards his ex partner who reported the offending when she returned to her family in the Illawarra region.

The charges were laid against Messina after the show went to air.

The convictions related to three incidents over several months involving Messina slamming a door on the victim’s foot, throwing her around a room and punching her in the nose.

Messina, who continued to maintain his innocence, stood before Judge Christopher O’Brien in Wollongong District Court on Friday seeking to overturn the convictions.

Sam Messina running into Port Kembla Local Court last year. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The judge found Messina guilty of punching his victim and throwing her around the room.

However, Judge O’Brien said it could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt Messina knew the woman was behind the door when he pushed it on to her foot.

Messina’s barrister Alissa Moen submitted her client had been dealt extra curial punishment of extensive media coverage of the matter, adding it was “rare” for “these sort of offence to receive this kind of exposure”.

The matter was compared to Hariet Wran, the daughter of former NSW premier Neville Wran, who was convicted of drug possession in 2019.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions rejected this stating “He put himself into the spotlight, while Wran was born into the spotlight”.

Sam Messina appeared on the 2020 edition of the Farmer Wants a Wife. Picture: Seven Media

Following the successful appeal against one of the DV convictions, Judge O’Brien reduced the CCO period to 12 months and cut the number of community service hours in half.

“Domestic violence is all its forms is a blight on our community,” the judge said. “You had no right to lay a hand on her in the angry way you do. You should feel rightly ashamed.

“Your conduct was appalling just as the conduct of any person found guilty of this type of offending.

“If men want to assault women they will be meet by significant and meaningful punishment by the court. Society has had enough of men using women as punching bags.”

Judge O’Brien also dismissed the convictions for the charges of trespassing and intimidation, dealing with them by the way of a 12-month conditional release order.