LIST: Violent abusers dealt with in Gympie courts

Domestic violence is a scourge on our society and this group of men are the worst the Gympie courts have seen so far this year. Some of their crimes will make you sick.

Elizabeth Neil

@lizneilreports

5 min read

July 14, 2021 - 4:00AM

Russell Douglas Johnstone (top left), Kim Satherley (top right), Dylan Neil Janke (bottom left), and Jamie Dennis Geoffry Butler (bottom right) are four of the Gympie region's most violent domestic abusers to face Gympie courts in 2021.

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The following eight men are some of most violent offenders convicted and sentenced in Gympie courts in 2021.

From a man who strangled a woman using a dog lead, to one who hit his partner while she was holding their child, these are eight of the region’s most violent attacks brought before the court.

The names are listed in no particular order.

1. Douglas Seaman

Gympie man Douglas Seaman, 45, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, possession of a weapon and breaching bail in the Gympie District Court on May 10, 2021.

The court heard Seaman brutally attacked a woman with a steam mop cord and left her with two black eyes, a bruised jaw and bruised back and shoulders.

Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said Seaman assaulted the woman by punching her in the face and body before tying her hands behind her back with a steam mop cord.

The court also heard he choked the woman in a way that left bruises but did not restrict her breathing.

When he was taken to the watch house, he told police the woman was “crazy” and claimed her injuries had been inflicted by other people.

He was sentenced to three years behind bars but released on parole the same day, having served 338 days in custody.

4. Jamie Dennis Geoffry Butler

Jamie Dennis Geoffry Butler, 23, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and damage to property when he fronted Gympie Magistrates Court via video on April 29, 2021.

Police were called to a Southside home on January 18, after reports of a woman being assaulted, where they found Butler with bloodied fists and a lump of wood.

Jamie Butler, 23, faced Gympie Magistrates court.

The court heard Butler hit the victim’s face several times with a metal pole, and also used a lump of wood to attack her, forcing her to shield herself by putting her arms over her head.

Magistrate Kurt Fowler said Butler attacked the woman with such force, the lump of wood broke on impact.

Butler continued to threaten the victim, hitting her on the side of her head before police arrived.

He was sentenced to 15 months behind bars, with a parole release date of August 29, 2021.

2. Widgee man, 41, dragged partner by her hair for almost 100m

A 41-year-old Widgee civil engineer pleaded guilty to breaching a DVO in Gympie Magistrates Court on July 12, 2021.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and his partner were homeless at the time of the offence, camping at a Glanmire rest area when he brutally attacked her for waking him up one morning because she was cold and needed the toilet.

The court heard the man dragged the woman by her hair for almost 100m, giving her a mild concussion, struck her in the nose and called her names including junkie wh---, sl--, and a mental patient.

He was sentenced to nine months jail, with a parole release date of September 23, 2021.

3. Russell Douglas Johnston

Russell Douglas Johnston, 47, was found guilty of choking in a domestic setting and common assault in the Gympie District Court on May 13, 2021.

He was found not guilty of assault occasioning bodily harm, a second choking charge and a second common assault charge.

Russell Douglas Johnston is led from the Gympie District Court after being found guilty of choking in a domestic setting and common assault. Pictures: Josh Preston

Judge Bernard Porter described a “physical confrontation” between Johnston and his then partner at around midnight on June 30, 2018, where Johnston choked her with enough force to affect her breathing.

When her daughter tried to intervene, Johnston picked her up and threw her on top of her mother, before turning to his partner and putting his foot on her head “with some force”, the court heard.

Johnston was given a head sentence of two years behind bars with a parole eligibility date of February 10, 2022.

6. Gympie man, 36, threw girlfriend so hard she was knocked out

A 36-year-old Gympie man pleaded guilty to breaching a DVO on November 14, 2020, in Gympie Magistrates Court on April 20, 2021.

The court heard the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, picked his girlfriend up and threw her to the ground during a verbal argument, knocking her unconscious and causing a lump on the back of her head and pain in her right jaw.

When police arrived, the man denied any involvement, saying he came out of the bedroom and “she was just laying on the floor”, police prosecutor Melissa Campbell said.

He was sentenced to three months behind bars, suspended for fifteen months.

5. Dylan Neil Janke

Gympie region man Dylan Neil Janke, 28, pleaded guilty to strangulation in a domestic setting, two charges of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, and three charges of breaching a domestic violence order in Gympie District Court.

Janke committed a string of offences against the victim over the course of two days, including strangling her with a dog lead for “about five seconds”, Judge Bernard Porter said.

The victim fell to the ground, couldn’t breathe and gasped for air, and he continued to verbally abuse her, the court heard.

Dylan Neil Janke, 28, leaves the Gympie District Court after pleading guilty to strangling his then partner among other offences.

Janke also threw a bowl at the victim’s head, as well as a candle holder, and pushed her into a laundry cupboard and punched her in the face.

He was given a head sentence of four years jail, with 311 days in pre-sentence custody taken into account.

His will be eligible for parole on September 9, 2021.

7. Gympie man, 44, hit partner while she was holding their child

A 44-year-old Gympie man pleaded guilty to breaching a domestic violence order and driving under the influence of drugs when he appeared in Gympie Magistrates Court via video on May 18, 2021.

The court heard the man, who could not be named for legal reasons, deliberately hit his partner while she held their young child in February 2021, and punched her in the head while he called her a “retard” and a “sl--”, police prosecutor Michael Phillips said.

The victim fled the house with their two children shortly after.

Sgt Philips said the victim suffered mental damage as a result of the attack.

The man was sentenced to two years behind bars, with a parole release date of October 29, 2021.

8. Kim Satherley

Scrubby Creek man Kim Satherley, 67, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm while armed in company in Gympie Magistrates Court on April 20, 2021.

Police were called to the Scrubby Creek address on August 31, 2020, after an argument between Satherley and the victim about their marriage breaking down turned violent.

The court heard Satherley and the victim threatened to damage the other’s prized possessions, including Satherley’s boat and his partner’s Mustang.

Kim Satherley has been given a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm while armed in company.

The victim hit Satherley on the arm with a wrench when she believed he was about to damage her Mustang, before he grabbed the wrench off her and pushed her towards the exit, causing her to fall down and hit her head on a ladder, and pull Satherley on top of her.

Satherley bit the victim’s finger while on top of her, and struck her in the temple with the wrench.

The victim was taken to Gympie Hospital where she needed six staples to her head and four stitches to her shin, and suffered bruising to her back, shoulder and right thigh.

Satherley was sentenced to nine months behind bars, suspended for two years.