Man pleads guilty to beating former partner, leaving her to die

A MOTHER-OF-THREE who was killed by her former partner called police to report being harassed by him three times in one night just days before her death, a court has heard.

Lorenzo Deegan, 29, appeared in the Darwin Supreme Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of negligent manslaughter and four counts of aggravated assault against his 29-year-old girlfriend. Picture: Facebook

A MOTHER-OF-THREE who was killed by her former partner called police to report being harassed by him three times in one night just days before her death, a court has heard.

Lorenzo Deegan, 29, appeared in the Darwin Supreme Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of negligent manslaughter and four counts of aggravated assault against the 29-year-old woman.

He was originally charged with her murder after she was found unresponsive in the bedroom of his Katherine home at around 9am on June 18, 2019.

The court heard she had bled to death after Deegan punched her in the torso in the early hours of that morning, fracturing her rib and piercing her spleen.

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Deegan left her to die over several hours without seeking medical assistance for her, before calling his mother who called triple-0 at around 8.30 that morning.

Crown Prosecutor Matt Nathan SC told the court Deegan had subjected the victim to years of physical and emotional abuse throughout their on again off again relationship, during which he served two years in prison for the brutal assault of the elderly man the victim was staying with at the time.

He said the assaults against the victim began just months after he was released on a suspended sentence and he was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet at the time of his latest offending.

“The fact that even though he knew there were two years and seven months (of the suspended sentence) hanging over his head, it did nothing to deter him from this course of conduct,” Mr Nathan said.

Lorenzo Deegan has pleaded guilty to the negligent manslaughter of his partner. Picture: Facebook

Mr Nathan said the victim would have likely survived if she had received medical attention in time.

“It (the injury) would have caused significant pain and distress, and the accused during that period of time did nothing to assist the complainant,” he said.

“This would not an instantaneous loss of consciousness and then someone dying.

“Had the accused intervened, she may well be alive.”

According to the statement of agreed facts, tendered in court, the victim called police three times on the night of June 13 after Deegan came to the house she was staying at in Katherine.

A police officer attended the residence to speak to her before she called police again later the same night saying “this bloke keeps coming around called Lorenzo Deegan.”

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The matter has been adjourned for defence submissions and sentencing.