Former Darwin councillor Paul Arnold sobs his way through gruelling second day of testimony

The former councillor admitted demanding his partner ‘admit you’re a c--t’, and telling her ‘you need to f--king believe it in your heart’, in an emotional second day in the witness box.

Former City of Darwin Lyons ward councillor Paul Arnold repeatedly broke down in tears under cross examination on Thursday. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Paul Arnold has spent his second day in the witness box after pleading not guilty to assault, stalking and deprivation of liberty, repeatedly breaking down in tears under cross examination.

In the Darwin Local Court on Thursday, prosecutor Rebecca Everitt read transcripts from covert recordings made by the former councillor’s ex in which she accused him of headbutting her.

Mr Arnold said he couldn’t remember her saying that or how he’d responded but accepted he’d replied “And did you push and push and push? Yes you f--king did”.

“I wanted her to take responsibility for her side of the arguments, that was my only focus,” he said.

“I wasn’t the whole blame of every single argument, I just wanted her to admit that she was part of the arguments.”

Ms Everitt read another passage from the transcript in which Mr Arnold said “I’m letting you go but you’re going to do it on my f--king terms”, asking if he “wanted to take some control over the situation”.

“No, as I said before, I wanted her to acknowledge her half, or part of, 10 per cent, something, in the arguments that was her fault,” he said.

“I didn’t want to be the sole blame for every single argument, I wanted her to own her side of it as well, it takes two people.”

When Ms Everitt came to the part of the transcript in which Mr Arnold said “I also want you to admit you’re a c--t”, he began to sob uncontrollably, saying “that’s how I felt”.

Former City of Darwin Lyons ward councillor Paul Arnold outside the Darwin Local Court after pleading not guilty to assault, deprivation of liberty and stalking. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“What do you mean it’s how you felt Mr Arnold, you felt that she was a c--t?” Ms Everitt asked.

“I was tired, I’d had enough, I’d had enough, I wanted it to stop,” he replied.

Ms Everitt suggested the woman had also had enough and “that’s why she was trying to leave”.

“She was telling you that she was trying to leave and you wouldn’t let her until she admitted to you that she was a c--t?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s how I felt,” he said.

“And then you said to her ‘Do you believe it? You need to f--king believe it in your heart’, this was the day after, on your account, you’d smashed her jewellery box and broken a mirror?” Ms Everitt asked.

“Yeah, my actions were shit, I know that, I’d just had enough,” he replied.

Ms Everitt suggested that was “directly in contradiction to your actions”.

“It’s difficult to get away from the recordings isn’t it?” she asked.

“I own my actions, I know what I’ve done and I’m so sorry for what I’ve done in those recordings,” Mr Arnold replied through floods of tears.

He will now resume his evidence on Friday.

Paul Arnold tearfully denies assaulting ex, saying ‘I throw shit’

Wednesday: Former Darwin city councillor Paul Arnold has denied assaulting his ex-partner while tearfully admitting “I throw shit” during heated domestic arguments after taking the stand in his own defence on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a string of aggravated assault charges, deprivation of liberty and stalking, while pleading guilty to two counts of property damage following the acrimonious break-up last year.

Under questioning in the Darwin Local Court from his barrister Jon Tippett KC, Mr Arnold said he had repeatedly ended the relationship due to “overpowering bullying” during the period in question in 2022 and 2023.

He said the couple was “often toe-to-toe, face-to-face, yelling at each other in each other’s face” and would “push each other out of the way” during arguments.

“We’re both passionate people about what we do, work, everything, we give everything we do 100 per cent, we gave each other 100 per cent and if we argued, we argued at 100 per cent as well,” he said.

Mr Arnold said he and his ex were at home in August 2022 when he “needed some space” and went upstairs to bed before she “came into the room” and “threw the door open”.

He said she was packing her things to leave in the walk-in wardrobe before he “got out of bed and asked her why and we just exploded into an argument”.

Former City of Darwin Lyons ward councillor Paul Arnold (right) faced questioning from defence barrister Jon Tippett KC on Thursday. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“She had her makeup bag in her hand and I just got really upset and I’ve grabbed it,” he said.

“I’ve hurled it so hard on the floor and I’ve shattered, the force that I threw it with, it was bad.

“I don’t know whether I was trying to throw it at her feet or at her, it hit her.”

Mr Arnold said he did not “intend to hit her” but a short time later he threw a 1L Yeti water bottle “hard, at her proximity”.

“It’s hit the floor, bounced up, hit her, what shocked me was the force that I actually threw it, again, that the Yeti has distorted and blown the lid off, that’s pretty much impossible to do,” he said.

“There was more yelling because of what I’d done and then I tried to make way to leave the ensuite and get out and I was just so upset with myself and I still am.

“(She’s) come up to me as I was leaving the door by the entrance and she’s pushed me against the doorpost and we just kept on yelling.

“I’m surprised the neighbours couldn’t hear us, it was vile, not her, it was her and it was me.

“She was right in my face, she was pushing her body against me.”

Mr Tippet asked: “Have you ever engaged in an action that could be characterised as a headbutt?”

“No way, I throw shit,” Mr Arnold replied.

He is due to conclude his evidence on Thursday.