Ex-RFS captain Ty Desmond Saunders sentenced in Taree court for domestic violence offending

A Mid-North Coast Rural Fire Service captain stood down when he was slapped with domestic violence charges has now been sentenced. Here’s what happened in court.

Taree Police Station.

A Mid-North Coast Rural Fire Service captain stood down when he was slapped with domestic violence charges has been sentenced for a violent outburst at his then-partner.

Ty Desmond Saunders pleaded guilty to common assault and destroying or damaging property, but a third charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm was withdrawn.

Saunders was captain of the Taree Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade, but was stood down when charges were laid.

Saunders and the victim were arguing on the morning of March 19. The woman told Saunders he had not been helping with household chores like mowing and whipper snipping, court documents state.

She suspected the 41-year-old man had been drinking when he returned from work about 5.30pm and police state he was too intoxicated to be interviewed when he was later arrested.

Ty Desmond Saunders.

As the dispute turned to a window being left open, the woman tried to move past Saunders, stumbled and when she tried to leave a bedroom he put his arm across her path.

She bit Saunders’ hand and then his arm when he did not move, the documents state.

Saunders followed the woman into the kitchen and pushed items off the bench. When she bent down to pick them up, Saunders taunted her: “Do your job b-tch, pick them up.”

He kicked and dented a metal garbage bin, leaving rubbish strewn across the floor. When the victim bent down to pick up the rubbish, Saunders kicked the bin again and damaged it further.

After gathering the rubbish and standing up, the woman was pushed and fell into a kitchen cupboard, hitting her head on a door.

Saunders was convicted of the two domestic violence-related charges in Taree Local Court on October 18 and sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order.

The court documents also state Saunders, who was employed as a driver at the time of offending, has a number of drink driving charges on record.

In October 2019, he was convicted in Forster Local Court of driving with a mid-range concentration of alcohol (second offence) and sentenced to a 12-month community correction order.