Redbank Plains dad Maulalo Lorenzo Toma, 23, charged with strangling partner, faces Ipswich court

An Ipswich court has heard heartbreaking allegations that a man strangled his partner as she cradled their screaming child. The man nevertheless tried to be released from jail before Christmas.

A southeast Queensland court has heard heartbreaking allegations that a man strangled his partner as she cradled their screaming child in her hands.

An Ipswich man has been arrested and remanded in custody for Christmas, accused of repeatedly assaulting his terrified partner and strangling her as she cradled their screaming baby in her arms.

Redbank Plains father-of-two Maulalo Lorenzo Toma, 23, was charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm (DV) and one of choking/suffocation/strangulation.

He made an application for bail in Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on December 19, 2023.

It will be alleged Mr Toma assaulted his partner on multiple occasions, most recently on December 16.

On that occasion, it was alleged Mr Toma grabbed the woman by the head, put his fingers in her mouth and then hit her head into a wall.

Magistrate Kathleen Payne said Mr Toma was also accused of choking the woman on December 4 after she asked him to get a bottle of milk for their six-month-old baby.

She said Mr Toma allegedly told the woman to “do it herself,” grabbed her by her shirt and pushed her, causing her to fall on the floor.

Ms Payne said the woman told police she had the baby in her arms at the time.

Mr Toma was also accused of standing over her and using a closed hand to push into her throat, putting his whole body weight into his fist to stop her breathing.

“She said she could feel his knuckles into her throat, she couldn’t breathe... she felt she was going to pass out,” Ms Payne said.

“She was trying to scream, was struggling, she’s seeing stars.... the baby was there screaming.”

Ms Payne said the woman’s sister called police after that alleged incident, although she tried to hide her injuries and lied to police because she was scared.

She said Toma made some admissions to police but gave a different account of events.

The court heard he had denied putting his hand on the woman’s throat, but said it was possible pressure had still been applied to the neck.

Toma was also accused of assaulting the woman in front of his sisters in a car on November 21.

Defence lawyer Matthew Fairclough said his client did not accept all the allegations.

He said the relationship had become toxic and his partner had already decided they should separate.

Given Toma’s young age and lack of any criminal history, Mr Fairclough said conditions could be imposed to justify a grant of bail.

But Ms Payne said she had concerns about the risk of Toma offending if granted bail, noting “what is alleged to be a consistent course of very violent conduct”.

She refused Mr Toma’s bail and remanded him in custody for mention on January 19.

Originally published as Redbank Plains dad Maulalo Lorenzo Toma, 23, charged with strangling partner, faces Ipswich court