Matthew Coolen pleads guilty to assault of ex-partner in Ballarat

A court has heard how a man fly-kicked doors and held a knife to his ex-partner’s throat in a shocking ice-fuelled attack in Ballarat.

A man fly kicked his ex-partner’s door twice, before breaking into her home and pinning her face down on her bed while pointing a knife at her throat in an ice-fuelled attack.

Matthew Coolen, 41, and a female friend rode their bicycles to the victim’s Ballarat house and demanded to be let in about 11pm on March 16 last year.

The County Court heard Coolen started banging on the lounge room window saying to his victim “let me in ya dog. Don’t call the police”.

A neighbour who had heard a man repeatedly screaming “let me in b****”, walked outside of his house when he saw Coolen charging towards the victim’s front door before jumping in the air to fly kick it.

Matthew Coolen kicked his ex-partner’s door twice, before breaking into her home and pinning her face down on her bed while pointing a knife at her throat. Picture: Generic.

Coolen fly kicked the door a second time, and said “game on b****” before breaking into the woman’s garage, and kicking his way into her house through the laundry door.

The woman was on the phone to an emergency services operator in her lounge room when Coolen tried to grab the phone.

He chased his former partner into her bedroom before cornering her and pinning her down on the bed.

A friend of the victim who had been in the home at the time of the attack, ran away when Coolen pulled out the hunting knife from its sheath which was cable-tied to his leg.

As the victim struggled with Coolen, she sustained a 2cm cut to her right knee through her jeans from the knife.

He then brought the knife in front of the woman’s throat, pointed it at her and told her to stop screaming and not to phone police.

Prosecutor Shivani Pillai said the woman was in fear of her throat being cut.

The court heard Coolen, still holding the knife shouted “where’s my money?” at the victim, which had been placed in her bank account.

As Coolen was leaving the home with his friend on their bikes the woman’s neighbour heard him say, “don’t worry, she’ll get hers”.

When police arrived at her house, they found the internal door broken and bent and was covered in shoe marks.

Police arrested Coolen shortly after the home invasion and the hunting knife was found about 200m from where he was arrested, which he had thrown while riding the bike.

Defence barrister Julian Siggins said his client believed money that he claims was deposited in his former partner’s account and had been spent by her.

Mr Siggins said Coolen suffered from PTSD after he had been seriously assaulted years earlier and had anxiety.

He said Coolen had been using meth since his early 20s.

Mr Siggins relied on a psychological assessment undertaken of Coolen and said his mental conditions could “moderate” his moral culpability.

Ms Pillai requested to cross examination the psychologist about the report.

Coolen pleaded guilty to two charges including one count of aggravated burglary when he faced the County Court on Tuesday from prison via video link.

He will return to court in March for further plea.