Abusive father in one of NT’s worst cases of domestic volence

AN abusive father terrorised his family with beatings and death threats for decades in what a prosecutor says is one of the worst instances of domestic violence cases in her career

AN abusive father terrorised his family with beatings and death threats for decades in what a prosecutor says is one of the worst instances of domestic violence cases in her career.

The 47-year-old, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the Supreme Court to a string of firearms and domestic violence charges and to intimidating his son into giving false testimony.

In a victim impact statement, one of the man’s daughters described her father as “like a grenade ready to explode at any time”.

Another daughter described herself as having spent 20 years “walking on eggshells”.

Justice Stephen Southwood said the man, who wrote a letter describing his crimes as “unfortunate”, had failed to grasp the gravity of his actions.

“(His letter) tends to be self serving as all these letters are ... he still seems to sufficiently lack insight into what his behaviour over this extended period was.

“What (this) indicates is a failure to recognise that domestic violence is a very serious crime and a failure to recognise that there is a period of ongoing behaviour aimed at controlling his family.

“It also fails to take into account the impact on the victims who have lived a life in fear for an extremely long period of time ... that’s the real gravamen in cases like this, not the level of violence.”

The court heard the man sent hundreds of threatening text messages to his estranged wife and children after domestic violence orders had been put in place following decades of terror.

A text message to his estranged wife said: “If you don’t let me prove to you that I’m good I’ll prove to you that I’m bad.”

He described one daughter as a “c*nt” whose body he would “scatter from one side of the NT to the other.”

The man repeatedly pointed guns at his wife and children and on one occasion held a gun to his own temple before firing into the roof.

He nicknamed his pistol “Johnny” and his rifle “Sammy”.

Prosecutor Mary Chalmers rejected defence lawyer John Adams’ claim the family would have reported the abuse earlier if it had been as bad terrifying as they had suggested.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is one of the worst cases of domestic abuse I have dealt with in over 10 years of prosecuting,” Ms Chalmers said.

Justice Southwood will sentence the man on Friday.