Lockington concretor terrorises Echuca family during ‘ice-fuelled rage’

A vengeful Lockington tradie threatened to kill his ex’s new boyfriend and upload nude pictures of her during an “ice-fuelled” rampage.

A Lockington tradie threatened to kill his ex-partner’s new boyfriend armed with a hammer and upload nude photos of her during an “ice-fuelled” rampage, a court has heard.

The 31-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to a string of charges in Victoria’s County Court.

It followed a relentless campaign of threatening text messages to a 27-year-old Echuca woman in 2019.

The man and his victim had been in a relationship two years earlier, but the woman moved on with a new boyfriend.

The court heard in the lead up to the attack, the man spent 10 days calling, texting, and harassing the woman over social media.

Court documents said the messages were often threatening the woman’s new boyfriend.

“(He) can sh-t in your bed and you appreciate it,” he texted her.

“When you see my face next and I am chopping your little boyfriend’s fingers off his f — king hands.”

Later, on February 5 2019, the Lockington man went to the woman’s home, turned off the lights and tried to climb through her window.

She told him to stop, and while still standing outside the kitchen he threatened to “end” her boyfriend if he called the police.

“I’m going to jail anyway, I’ll make it worse,” he said.

The Lockington man said he “had enough bullets to end his (the boyfriend’s) life”.

Her boyfriend climbed out the bedroom with the woman’s young son, who had been earlier crying in fear, and carried him to safety.

When police arrived the 31-year-old broke through the flywire screen chasing after the man who had left.

The woman said he dropped an object, she believed was a gun, but was later determined to be the head of a hammer.

As he fled he threw the hammer head into the bushes.

But that wasn’t the end of the Lockington man’s rampage.

In a relentless Valentine’s Day tribute the man contacted his ex-girlfriend 87 times, before yelling outside her home.

“You are an evil betraying woman,” Hall texted her.

“You think that dog isn’t going to get what’s coming to him.”

As the Echuca mum drove to the police station on Monday February 18, her ex rang her 19 times in 30 minutes, including one call when he threatened to publish “nude photos” of her.

“And since I’m a dog like you treat me, watch me f — k with your life now,” he texted.

“I’m going to be one heartless dog to you and I’m going to f — k with your life like you could never imagine.

“Too bad you don’t have any man that will protect you.

“He’s going to be the first to run as you already know.”

She told officers her ex threatened to “kick me in the guts” and Snapchat messaged her “watch your boyfriend be hurt by today’s end”.

“Make sure you tell him there’s no greater force than the mob.”

The woman told police the man’s contact was “constant all day and night”.

He was arrested on March 18, 2019 and spent 334 days in pre-sentence detention.

A victim impact statement from the woman said she and her autistic son were traumatised by the man’s actions.

“My son constantly asks me ‘Is (he) hiding in my room?’,” she said.

“He is so frightened.”

The Echuca mother said her son now slept in her room, as he was too scared to sleep alone.

“I also have night terrors,” she said.

“I just want myself and my children to be safe from this man.”

Public defender Eleanor Millar said the man had symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, trauma and stimulant-use disorder.

Judge Carolene Gwynn said it was clear the man’s actions were a product of “ice-fuelled male rage” as he lashed out as the relationship was not on his terms.

“(This) started as a persistent nuisance and became much more,” Judge Gwynn said.

“You made (her) life hell for at least a month.”

Judge Gwynn addressed the 31-year-old directly, saying he was “relentless” in his contact and would stop at nothing to “feed your jealousy”.

The Lockington man pleaded guilty to a persistent contravention of a family violence order, threats to inflict serious injury, threats to kill, aggravated burglary and contravention of an order with the intent to cause harm or fear.

He was sentenced to 11 months in prison on Thursday July 15, already served, followed by an 18-month community corrections order, with specific conditions for drug an alcohol use, mental health, men’s behaviour change programs.