Damon John Howard dragged his partner by the hair for 100m through Gold Coast shopping centre car park
A man who "couldn't be stopped" when he grabbed his partner by the hair and dragged her 100m through a Gold Coast shopping centre car park has now faced court over two dozen charges.
Crime and Court
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A MAN threatened onlookers who tried to stop him dragging his partner 100m through a Gold Coast shopping centre car park by her hair.
Damon John Howard will be out of prison on parole by May 28 after he pleaded guilty to the attack.
Howard, 38, pleaded guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday to 24 charges including assault and threatening violence.
The court was told Howard followed his partner to Nerang Mall Shopping Centre at 4pm on January 28 after an argument.
Outside Terry White Chemist, Howard grabbed the woman, dragged her through the car park and forced her into the back of a car.
A security guard and onlookers were threatened when they tried to stop him.
The remaining charges were committed in 2010 and 2011 and relate mostly to driving offences.
Magistrate Pamela Dowse sentenced Howard to 12 months prison with parole release on May 28.
“Other people did try to intervene and they were very scared so it must have been horrific,” she said.
“It was a vicious assault as far as I am concerned. It was in public, nobody could help and he couldn’t be stopped.”
Defence lawyer Skye O’Dwyer, of Allen & Searing Criminal Lawyers, said Howard was living in New South Wales but returned to Queensland to help his family campaign for a coronial inquest into his brother’s death.
His younger brother died in 2017 from a gunshot and the family want it investigated by a coroner.
Ms O’Dwyer said Howard lost an ex-partner who died from a blood clot.
The court was told Howard had been jailed for unrelated matters in NSW which is why many of the Queensland matters were from almost 10 years ago.
Ms O’Dwyer said Howard described himself as “institutionalised”.
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