Brent Beanland doused partner in petrol after marriage broke down

A father-of-two from Melbourne’s west doused his partner in petrol after he snapped when his marriage broke down, a court has heard.

After moving into his garage during the breakdown of his marriage, a Sunshine West man snapped and poured petrol over his partner’s head during a bout of drug-induced psychosis, a court has heard.

Brent Beanland was arrested and charged on May 1, after the terrifying incident took place at their family home.

The 35-year-old reappeared in Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to assault and recklessly engaging in conduct that may have placed a person in danger of death or serious injury.

He also pleaded guilty to making threats to inflict serious injury on an earlier date on March 4.

The court heard he had been suffering from depression at the time of the incident and had been consuming drugs earlier that day leading to psychosis.

Beanland used his time in court to complain about the prison conditions during his six months in custody, telling the magistrate: “I‘m not a criminal, I just want to get out”.

“I know it‘s 100 per cent my fault and I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

“All I want to do is get back into society and work to provide for my children. Holding me in here any longer is going to cause me more mental damage.

“I‘m not getting any help in here.”

Brent Beanland, 35, has pleaded guilty to pouring petrol over his partner’s head during a drug-induced psychotic episode on May 1, 2021.

Beanland’s lawyer, Sophie Brooks-Miller, said he felt no “animosity” towards the victim and wanted to move on with his life.

“He doesn‘t want any more trouble for the family members,” she said. “And we reiterate that he did not threaten to set the oil alight.”

But a report by community corrections raised concerns that while he accepted full responsibility he engaged in “victim blaming”.

“We had a lot of problems in the relationship,” he told an assessor. “You don’t know what’s been left out.”

Magistrate Greg Robinson told the man he would entertain sentencing him to time served and a community corrections order, but needed “confidence” he wouldn’t reoffend.

“Even though it‘s a very serious offence, six months and a community corrections order is an appropriate sentence,” he said.

“What I’m proposing is to bail Mr Beanland on strict conditions and defer sentencing. That way he’s on the hook and I can have confidence he’s reintegrating into the community.”

Beanland will return to court on November 5 after an assessment for the CISP bail program.