Dalby couple go on domestic violence spree over four months

A Dalby man wished to resume a relationship with the woman who he verbally assaulted in public.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A Dalby man went on a spree of domestic violence offences.

BLEEDING from the mouth and his body covered with bruises after a fight with his pregnant girlfriend, a Dalby man, 27, admitted to committing a string of domestic violence offences against his partner, including smashing her phone, punching a hole in the wall, and engaging in a physical fight with her while driving a car.

The same defendant told Magistrates Roger Stark he wished to resume a relationship with his victim.

Within a four month period, the defendant went on a spree of domestic violence offences, some just days after orders were put in place to protect him and his partner from eachother.

Police prosecutor senior constable Jodie Tahana told Dalby Magistrates Court the defendant was the respondent in a domestic violence order on April 23, for which he was required to be of good behaviour around his partner, and not commit any more offences.

Snr const Tahana said police attended an Arthur St home three days later on April 26 about 5pm and detained the defendant and his partner, who were standing in the yard.

Police searched the address and located a bong and a bowl which the defendant said belonged to “her”, indicating to the aggrieved.

Police also located a clipseal bag that the defendant said had ice in it, but said it also belonged to the aggrieved.

Police said the aggrieved appeared agitated towards police, and refused to speak to them.

The defendant told police they had a verbal argument in the yard when he smashed her phone on the ground and punched a hole in the side of the house.

The defendant told police he knew about the order placed three days before.

On May 13, police were called to an address on Seymours Rd in Dalby after an informant in a vehicle found a car driving recklessly on the road near the address.

The informant told police the car had a male and a female inside, later identified as the defendant and the aggrieved, and they appeared to be in a physical fight.

The informant said the car was swerving into oncoming traffic, and when the female opened the passenger side door and attempted to get out of the car, the driver pulled her back inside.

The informant then saw the couple throw several punches towards each other, and the car stopped abruptly, but the “exchange of blows” continued, according to snr const Tahana.

The informant saw what he believed was a spanner thrown out the driver side window.

The female passenger made a second attempt to get out of the car but was pulled back in again. The car finally made a stop at Seymours Rd.

When police located the couple, they said the aggrieved was intoxicated, bleeding from the mouth and had bruises on her arm, shoulder, and neck.

The defendant was found with a bruise on his eye and was also bleeding from the mouth.

The aggrieved told police she had been in a fight with her sister, and the defendant was bleeding because he had kissed the aggrieved.

On May 13 the defendant was granted a bail undertaking and given a no contact order between himself and his partner.

On May 25, police observed the aggrieved get out of the defendant’s car. When police made attempts to drive towards the car, the defendant drove away.

When police eventually intercepted the car, the defendant said he knew about the no contact order.

Police caught up with the couple one final time on June 8.

Police located the defendant at the Arthur St address with officers from the Dalby Road Policing Unit after he was seen having a verbal argument on the phone.

Police searched the defendant’s house and found the aggrieved hiding in a cupboard in the bedroom.

The aggrieved told police she was hiding from police because they made her “anxious”. An ambulance was called to the residence because the aggrieved was pregnant.

The defendant told police he had come to the house to collect some of his personal items and believed the aggrieved would not be home.

He admitted to sleeping at the house most nights despite the no contact order.

Defence lawyer Claire Graham told Magistrate Roger Stark her client had been in a relationship with the aggrieved for two years, and she was now carrying their first child together.

The defendant has one other child, a nine-year-old , from another relationship.

Ms Graham said her client had no problems with drugs or alcohol, and on the day of their physical fight in the car, the defendant had gone to collect his partner after they had been in a fight the week prior.

Ms Graham described the aggrieved as an “uncooperative” complainant due to her reluctance to talk to police, and said the defendant also currently had an order placed to protect him from the aggrieved.

The lawyer said her client was “remorseful” and wished to resume a healthy relationship with the aggrieved.

The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of contravening a domestic violence order, possessing utensils and pipes that had been used, driving without due car and attention, and two counts of breaching a bail condition.

For the contravention of a DVO, Mr Stark sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment wholly suspended for an operational period of 15 months, and for the remaining charges sentenced him to a 15 month probation order.

Convictions were recorded.

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