Man with ‘violent disposition towards women’ sentenced for assault

A MAN who pulled his partner to the ground by her hair claimed he was trying to stop her “running drunkenly onto the road”, a court has heard

A MAN who pulled his partner to the ground by her hair claimed he was trying to stop her “running drunkenly onto the road”, a court has heard.

Tennant Creek man Kurt Finlay, 32, was sentenced in Alice Springs Local Court after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and breaching a DVO.

The court heard Finlay and the victim, his pregnant partner, were “very intoxicated” on January 8.

Defence lawyer Jacob Henderson said Finlay “only remembers bits and pieces” of the assault but the pair had argued.

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“Before he pulled her to the ground by her hair the victim had grabbed the pram and ran away from the victim towards the road,” Mr Henderson said.

“He was angry but he wanted to stop her running drunkenly onto the road with their three-year-old.

“He told me it wasn’t his intention to hurt her … he’s remorseful. He said, ‘I’m feeling really bad. I only remember bits and pieces and I want to see the footage so I know how much to say sorry to my partner’.” The court heard Finlay had issues with alcohol.

During sentencing, Judge Greg Borchers said Finlay’s concern for not being able to care for his child while in prison didn’t hold much weight because “both these people were intoxicated and they are supposed to be caring for this child”. “They are running around the main street of Tennant Creek, pushing her along, each taking it in turns one running and the other one chasing the other with the child in the pram.”

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The court heard Finlay had breached DVO’s numerous times in recent years but he had not fronted court since 2018.

“I take into account that you had some concerns as to where your partner may or may not have run with your child, noting that you were heavily intoxicated and the stills of the CCTV footage don’t necessarily support that intention,” Judge Borchers said. He said he believed Finlay had a “disregard” for DVOs and was “a man of violent disposition towards women”.

He was sentenced to five months’ prison.

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