Heavily pregnant Pakenham woman bashed, strangled by remorseless partner in brutal bedroom attack
A Pakenham woman was less than three months away from giving birth when her possessive partner bashed her and accused her of having an affair. But the violent and remorseless thug said he wasn’t to blame for the horrifying bedroom attack.
South East
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A heavily pregnant Pakenham woman was beaten and strangled during a horrifying bedroom bashing at the hands of her possessive partner, a court has heard.
And a remorseless Dilip Perera said that if he couldn’t have their four children “no one” could and if he and his partner of 13 years were in Sri Lanka he would have shot her.
The Dandenong Magistrates Court heard the defenceless victim was 28 weeks pregnant when Perera snapped and accused her of having an affair about midday on July 16.
The prosecution said the woman “feared for her life” as Perera shoved her onto their bed and began strangling her before striking her in the face.
“Just tell me and this will be all over,” Perera said as his terrified partner made a getaway outside the house.
The victim checked in at a motel in Parkdale with the children but was followed by Perera who also stayed the night.
But the thug was stopped by Mordialloc police officers who came to the motel just before 4pm on July 17 after one of the woman’s concerned friends raised the alarm.
They found the battered woman with swelling and bruising above her right eye as well as hand marks on her neck.
She said she’d been struck in the head 12 times during the terrifying ordeal.
At Moorabbin police station Perera told officers that his life “was more important than anything else” and that the victim provoked him by grabbing his neck, which caused him to punch her.
“(He said) he had no idea how the victim sustained her other injuries,” the prosecution said.
Magistrate Julie O’Donnell said Perera had made comments that if he was in Sri Lanka he would have shot his wife and that if he couldn’t have the children “no one could.”
She noted he had no criminal history.
“We’ve got a very pregnant partner, he also made comments about (the victim) having a male child,” she said.
Perera’s lawyer said her client, who does not speak English, was experiencing a number of mental and physical health issues as well as suicidal ideations.
“He’s very distressed being separated from his family,” she said.
Perera pleaded guilty to common law assault and was remanded to return for sentence on September 14.
brittany.goldsmith@news.com.au
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