'Shut up or I'll king hit ya'

A TOWNSEND man has been sentenced to serve time behind bars for a number of assaults on his partner

WHAT was meant to be a couple's weekend away in Glen Innes quickly turned violent, and ended with a victim hit in the head while driving, smothered with a pillow, thrown to the ground and kneed in the back before they made it back home.

Townsend man Blake Harris, 24, was sentenced in Grafton Local Court this week after pleading guilty to a series of assaults and stalk and intimidate intending to cause physical harm.

According to police facts, on December 10 last year Harris and the victim went to stay at a caravan park in Glen Innes for a week, but left the same day.

On their way home, while the victim was driving, the pair began to argue, with Harris threatening "if you don't shut up, I'll king hit ya".

Shortly after, Harris hit the victim, who began to cry.

The argument continued, and Harris said "If you don't stop (the car) I'll king hit you again while you're driving".

The victim, fearful of further assault, stopped the car and Harris got out and walked away, before the victim caught up with him.

The pair continued to argue, with Harris driving and stopping the car to get out a number of times. On one of the occasions the victim got out of the car and walked away, before she got back into the back seat and tried to lock the car doors.

Harris managed to enter the car and grabbed a pillow and slammed it against the victim's head and pushed it down into the seat, which caused the victim to have difficulty breathing and neck pain.

Harris and the victim got out of the car and continued to argue before Harris grabbed and pushed the victim a number of times and eventually threw her against the ground and kneed her in the tailbone.

The victim attempted to flag down a passing motorist, who stopped briefly and talked to the victim before driving off.

After a short time Harris and the victim got back in the car and continued back towards Grafton.

On December 14 the victim made a statement to police, however three days later when police patrolling River St in Maclean spotted the victim, she attempted to hide.

When asked by police, the victim denied having any knowledge of where Harris was, despite a number of items that belonged to him being in the passenger seat of the car.

Police canvassed the area before spotting Harris running away in the distance.

About 40 minutes later Harris was sighted on Clarence St and fled.

For 10 minutes he was pursued by police through the streets of Maclean before he was found hiding in a car yard and tackled by officers.

Police applied for a provisional Apprehended Violence Order, which was delivered to Harris's home address on December 17.

On February 2 this year, Harris and the victim were in temporary accommodation at Valla when an argument started.

Harris started pushing and pulling the hair of the victim before he grabbed a hot cup of coffee and threw it at her.

Harris picked up his belongings and left the house with the victim following, asking where he was going.

Harris tried to jump a barbed-wire fence, then turned around and punched the victim once in the head, causing her to fall on the fence.

Harris left the property, with the victim following and asking where he was going.

Harris continued to abuse the victim, before he put her in a headlock and said "if you don't shut the f--- up I'll choke you and kill you".

In Grafton Local Court on Monday, Magistrate Karen Stafford sentenced Harris to 20 months behind bars, with a non-parole period of 10 months. He will be eligible for release in January next year.

Originally published as 'Shut up or I'll king hit ya'