John Paul Tobane pleads guilty in Maryborough court to strangulation

For hours a Qld mother of eight endured “terrifying” acts of domestic violence at a motel after a day of ‘sorry business’ until a neighbour phoned triple-0.

John Paul Tobane, 40, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm, two counts of strangulation and three counts of common assault when he faced Maryborough District Court on Tuesday.

A father of eight strangled the mother of his children before using an empty alcohol can to try and slash her neck, a court has heard.

John Paul Tobane, 41, pleaded guilty in Maryborough District Court on Tuesday to assaults occasioning bodily harm, two counts of strangulation and three counts of common assault.

The court heard the incident happened on August 30, 2024, in Granville.

Crown prosecutor Seamus McManus said it was a protracted domestic violence incident against his partner, with whom he shared eight children and had been in a relationship with for 21 years.

Mr McManus said on the day of the attacks the two had been drinking in a motel room when he became aggressive and punched her multiple times to the face, causing her to fall to the ground.

She had tried to walk away but he ran after her, Mr McManus said, hitting her and again causing her to fall to the ground where he delivered multiple kicks to her head and face.

Tobane then grabbed her by the shirt and dragged her along the concrete ground, causing abrasions to the left side of her face.

John Paul Tobane, 40, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm, two counts of strangulation and three counts of common assault when he faced Maryborough District Court on Tuesday.

She ran inside the bedroom and Tobane followed her inside where he strangled her on the bed.

The woman fought him off and Tobane had grabbed an empty alcohol can and tried to slash her neck, Mr McManus said, but instead it hit her nose, leaving a cut.

Tobane then strangled the woman a second time.

A neighbour in the complex called triple-0 and the woman was taken to Maryborough Hospital for treatment for her injuries.

Tobane was found by police the following day, declined to take part in an interview and had been remanded in custody since that time.

“It would have been a distressing and terrifying experience,” Mr McManus said.

In Tobane’s defence, the court heard he and his partner had come into town for “sorry business” and spent the day grieving before the incident.

When they returned to the motel, they both began to drink heavily, the court heard, but that was not an excuse for what had happened.

Tobane was ashamed of his conduct on that day and was looking to complete a resilience program and a Deadly Choices program, the court was told.

He was a member of a large family and had nine siblings and upon his release from custody was intending to live with his sister.

He had left school as a teenager and done labouring and cash-in-hand jobs before having a heart attack at 27 from “unhealthy lifestyle choices” he had made.

Judge Deborah Richards said she accepted Tobane was ashamed of his behaviour.

“So you should be,” she said.

She also accepted that he was drunk at the time but said that was no excuse.

Judge Richards said at the time of the offending Tobane had been on probation and a suspended sentence.

She said the offending would have been terrifying for the victim.

Tobane was given a head sentence of three years in prison.

A parole release date was set for December 31, 2025.

Originally published as John Paul Tobane pleads guilty in Maryborough court to strangulation