Mackay father in court for ‘pest’ calls to former partner

A father of three was told he was ‘skating on thin ice’ after he used computer technology to repeatedly contact his former partner because ‘only she could save him’.

A phone call answered inside a police station was a man’s downfall who resorted to “pest” measures to try and rekindle a relationship.

Mackay Magistrates Court heard on Thursday a domestic violence protection order was made against the Andergrove father-of-three on January 28 only to be breached months later.

Police prosecutor Robert Beamish said his former partner went to the Mackay Northern Beaches Police Station on March 14 to report a private phone number that was relentlessly calling her over a two-day period.

“She believed (her ex) was the one making those calls,” Mr Beamish said.

“While in the company of police, she answered one of these calls.

“There was a computer generated voice on the other end.

“It said ‘Hello, if you’re listening, only you can save me, I need you’.”

Mr Beamish said the man, who appeared in court via videolink and cannot be named for legal reasons, then attended the same police station on August 11 for a different matter.

While there he showed officers an exchange of text messages between himself and his former partner.

They included him saying he still loved her and her texting four days later asking for money to buy food and fuel.

Mr Beamish said police arrested the man five days later on August 16 and discovered his phone was behind the 84 computer-generated and disguised calls to his former partner.

The court heard he denied making the calls and offered no explanation how his phone came to be involved.

Legal Aid Queensland solicitor Rosemary Varley said her 38-year-old client, who worked as an operator for a mining-based company, had not contacted his former partner since April.

Ms Varley said the two charges of contravening a domestic violence order did not involve violence and asked Magistrate Damien Dwyer to consider a “substantial” fine for her client who had spent three days in custody.

Mr Dwyer said the man’s actions were “childish rubbish” and he was “skating on thin ice” as a “pest”.

“If you are hurting, go and get yourself some assistance,” he said.

“I’m telling you now we will not put up with this.”

Pleading guilty to both charges, the man was fined $1750 and released from custody.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Mackay father in court for ‘pest’ calls to former partner