Tony Edward David Pietrantonio jailed for assaulting and stalking his wife

A Two Wells cafe owner has been slammed by a judge after he assaulted and stalked his terrified wife, including installing a tracking device in her car.

A thug left his wife feeling like she was in a never-ending nightmare after he assaulted and stalked her over several months.

Tony Edward David Pietrantonio, 40, was jailed after a judge denounced him for showing no insight into his offending and telling his supporters they needed to “wake up”.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Pietrantonio met his wife in 2001 before marrying in 2009 and having two children together.

The court heard there was a background of controlling and violent behaviour in the relationship including an uncharged incident where Pietrantonio choked the victim until she lost consciousness in May 2021.

The victim moved out but came back just before Christmas in December 2021 as she was hopeful Pietrantonio had changed his ways.

Tony Pietrantonio on his wedding day in 2009. Photo: File

In April 2022 they had an argument and the victim packed her bag to leave.

“You stepped in front of her, grabbed her forehead and slammed it into the wall,” Judge Liesl Kudelka said.

The court heard Pietrantonio then began stalking the victim, including following her home and tracking her location.

On another occasion, the victim was sitting in her car when Pietrantonio arrived and verbally abused her, telling her he was “never going to leave her alone”.

The court heard Pietrantonio then reached through the partially open car window and grabbed the victim by the hair before spitting on her.

The victim drove to the Salisbury police station, followed by Pietrantonio, where she reported him.

The court heard the victim located a tracking device under her car in July 2022, before Pietrantonio hurled threatening words at her in another incident in October 2022.

Pietrantonio, of Wattle Park, pleaded guilty to assault and stalking.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she lived in a state of terror for years and was constantly walking on eggshells.

“She felt trapped in a life that seemed like a never-ending nightmare,” Judge Kudelka said.

“She lost her sense of self but what haunts her most is what your children had to see and endure. She feels the weight of the trauma everyday.”

The court heard Pietrantonio worked at many Adelaide restaurants as a chef before opening his own cafe in Two Wells.

Judge Kudelka said Pietrantonio’s support network – who wrote several letters describing him as a man of high moral standing with a strong sense of empathy – needs to “wake up”.

“Not a single person in your so-called support network has acknowledged the seriousness of your behaviour,” she said.

Judge Liesl Kudelka said what concerned her the most was that Pietrantonio told the author of the home detention suitability report he believed the charges had been laid because he started a new relationship and he pleaded guilty because “he had to”.
She said Pietrantonio had shown no insight for his offending and domestic violence offending needed to be publicly denounced.

After taking into account the time Pietrantonio had spent in custody, he was sentenced to one year and four months jail, with a non-parole period of four months.

Originally published as Tony Edward David Pietrantonio jailed for assaulting and stalking his wife