Joshua William Patterson sentenced for domestic violence attacks

A Central Queensland woman yelled “help, someone call Triple 0” before she was suffocated by her partner to the point where she saw “purple dots” and thought she was going to die, a court has heard.

Joshua William Patterson, 29, was sentenced in the District Court at Gladstone for his domestic violence offending. Generic image.

Details of a Central Queensland man’s “horrific” domestic violence attacks on his partner have been laid bare during his sentencing.

Appearing in custody, Joshua William Patterson, 29, was sentenced in the District Court at Gladstone after pleading guilty to charges including suffocation and common assault (both domestic violence offences).

The court heard the victim was Patterson’s girlfriend at the time (now ex-girlfriend) and they had been in a relationship for about five years when the offending started.

It was told that one night, the couple was at Patterson’s mother’s home, when they got into an argument.

The Crown said Patterson blamed his partner for “various problems in his life” and called her “a selfish bitch.”

When the woman tried to grab her car keys, Patterson slammed her hand onto a counter and threw her phone away.

She tried to retrieve the phone but Patterson put one hand on her chest, the other around her throat, and squeezed.

Patterson then released the woman.

She managed to get her phone and opened a voice recording application.

Patterson grabbed her and asked her to delete the recording.

The pair fought over the phone before the woman ran to a window and yelled: “Help, someone call Triple 0”.

Patterson then ran to her, put his right hand over her mouth, and she continued to scream.

Patterson used his thumb to close her nose, and she was not able to breathe and “felt like she was going to die”, the Crown said.

The woman bit Patterson’s fingers twice but he did not release his grip.

Patterson shouted at the woman: “You’re not f***ing leaving, I won’t go to jail because of you...”

Gladstone Courthouse.

The woman felt lightheaded and saw “purple dots in her eyes,” the Crown said.

She then bit harder on Patterson’s fingers and he finally released her and yelled “Ouch, you f***ing bitch” and pushed her to the ground.

The woman retrieved her keys and ran to her car.

Patterson ran after her.

The woman got her phone to call Triple 0 and Patterson started to sob and asked her not to report him.

The Crown described Patterson’s offending as “horrific” and “cowardly.”

During sentencing on July 16, the court heard Patterson’s offending had breached two suspended sentences.

Judge Jeff Clarke said Patterson had inflicted “shameful violence” on the victim which was “unpredictable, unwarranted and gratuitous.”

Judge Clarke added Patterson intimidated his then partner and showed a need to “control and demean” her.

“A woman who was particularly vulnerable within the family home to your hateful conduct,” he said.

A barrister said Patterson, a father, completed Year 12 and then worked as a stevedore and wharfman for about seven years.

She said he was most recently employed as a traffic controller for the council but had not worked since November, 2022.

“He instructs that this period in custody has been, in his words, in many ways the best thing for him,” the barrister said.

“He’s had time to reflect and realise that he doesn’t want to be in this position again - and that some people in jail have had 10 birthdays in jail because of domestic violence offending and that he doesn’t want to form part of that group, which he can see that at present, he is.”

The barrister said Patterson, when released, intended to do a men’s behaviour change program and he wanted to return to work as a traffic controller.

Judge Clarke activated the two suspended sentences and sentenced Patterson to two years and nine months’ jail.

He declared 239 days’ pre-sentence custody as time already served and set immediate parole release.

Originally published as Joshua William Patterson sentenced for domestic violence attacks