DV offender throws faeces in Rockhampton watchhouse

A seven-year-old boy with serious medical issues was forced to be the protector of his sister and mother when his father unleashed on his ‘mummy’, a court heard.

Domestic violence generic. Picture: Contributed

“Daddy is trying to kill Mummy”.

This is what a seven-year-old child losing his vision due to illness, who had locked himself and his older sister in the bathroom, told emergency services over the phone, Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard on November 14.

“The caller sounded frightened,” police prosecutor Courtney Brown said.

She said when police arrived, no one answered either the front or rear door, but the boy managed to call out to police from the bathroom window and told them he couldn’t open the door.

Ms Brown said police gained entry to the residence via force and found a ladder had been used to barricade the bathroom door, locking the children and their mother inside who all appeared frightened.

She said a shattered beer bottle was located on the floor below the back door and the defendant was lying on a bed, drinking beer.

Ms Brown said when asked what his name was, the defendant gave a false name.

She said checks revealed what his real name was and that he was wanted on a warrant for failing to appear in court.

Ms Brown said the defendant was arrested and police could smell alcohol on his breath.

She said when police spoke with the defendant’s partner, she told them he had been aggressive but would not elaborate.

Ms Brown said the woman told police the “argued regularly and was not allowed to call police”.

This was the second time police had been called to the man’s residence in relation to domestic violence offences in the past few months.

The court heard the had attended in September and when police arrived the children and woman were running from the dwelling and the defendant was argumentative with police.

Ms Brown said he smelt of alcohol on that occasion and had three Great Northern beer caps in his short pockets.

She said when the defendant was taken to the watchhouse this week, due to his aggressive behaviour towards staff, he was placed in the padded cell where he defecated and threw and smeared his faeces on the CCTV camera and walls.

Police had to get a specialist cleaner in to clean up the mess at the cost of $650.

What the inside of a cell at Rockhampton Watchhouse looks like. Picture: Contributed

Defence lawyer Stephanie Smith said the family had some health struggles with the seven-year-old losing his vision due to an illness and the mother also recently diagnosed with a serious illness and they had been stressed due to this and the financial impact of these medical issues.

She said the defendant, 31, apologised for the cell mess and offered to clean it up.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale gave the father-of-two a stern lecture about his behaviour.

“You’ve got a seven-year-old ringing Triple-0 saying I’m locked in the bathroom because Daddy’s killing mummy,” Magistrate said.

“We are talking about a very confronting situation.

“He has all those issues and he’s the one locking himself with his sister… he’s acting protectively towards his 10-year-old sister and his mum because of you.

“That’s who you’ve got to think of when you are having a drink (of alcohol) because when you drink you behave like this… you shit on the floor and have someone clean up after you like a child.

“It’s pretty easy to pick: you’re seven-year-old son who needs you or have a drink.

“If you understood you would stop. You would put into effect, not just say you do (understand).”

The defendant nodded with his head bowed as Ms Beckinsale served up her lecture at him.

Ms Brown said the defendant was last dealt by the court in September 2023 for one count each of obstruct police and breaching a domestic violence order where he got a six-month prison term with 189 days pre sentence custody declared as time served and released to parole the day of his sentence.

The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a domestic violence order, along with one count each of wilful damage of police property, failing to appear in court and contravening police requirement.

Originally published as DV offender throws faeces in Rockhampton watchhouse