Shiloh Neilsen pleads guilty to strangulation, assault

A woman was forced to flee her home after her former partner woke her in the early hours of the morning before assaulting her.

Shiloh Neilsen, 26, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation and stealing when he faced Maryborough District Court on Monday.

A woman woke up in the early hours of the morning to a violent assault, a court has heard, with her former partner slapping and choking her before stealing $2000 from her bank account.

Shiloh Neilsen, 26, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation and stealing when he faced Maryborough District Court on Monday.

The court heard Neilsen had “offended without provocation or warning”, and the victim had needed to seek medical attention for her injuries in the wake of the assault.

In the early hours of the morning, the woman was woken after Neilsen entered the home, the court heard.

She got up and walked towards the front door, telling Neilsen to leave her alone.

Neilsen demanded they talk, then hit the woman across the left side of her face, the court heard.

He was again asked to leave and she indicated she was leaving, as she felt scared.

The woman walked into the main bedroom and sat on the bed.

Neilsen pushed her back onto the mattress, put his hands on her chest and told her to shut up, the court heard.

He then placed his hands around the neck and “squeezed tightly”.

Neilsen again squeezed her neck, causing her difficulty breathing.

Shiloh Neilsen, 26, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation and stealing when he faced Maryborough District Court on Monday.

The woman then climbed out of the bedroom window and ran down the street before running into a woman and asking for help.

Sometime after the woman left the house, Neilsen transferred $2000 out of her account into his account, the court heard.

When police arrived, they saw marks and bruising on the woman’s neck and noted her swollen upper lip.

The woman was taken to hospital in the aftermath of the incident.

The court heard Neilsen had three children and a Year 10 level of education.

His parents had separated and he had significant trauma as a result of being exposed to domestic violence by his mother’s partners during his childhood.

Neilsen had been diagnosed with ADHD when he was a child, the court heard, which had resulted in him having a “dysfunctional education”.

He had lost his father to a drug overdose when he was a teenager.

Much of his life had been transient living, the court heard, moving between friends and family.

Since being in custody, Neilsen had undertaken an opioid substitute replacement treatment, the court was told, and was feeling the most “clear-minded” that he had for a long time and he was remorseful for his actions.

Judge Terry Gardiner gave Neilsen a head sentence of three years in prison.

The time he had spent in presentence custody was declared as time served.

A parole release date was set for October 22, 2025.

Originally published as Shiloh Neilsen pleads guilty to strangulation, assault