Woman’s history of domestic violence read aloud in Townsville District Court

A woman who had seven family members place domestic violence orders against her has been sentenced in court after she lifted her sister into the air by her neck during a violent outburst.

A woman who lifted her sister off the ground by her neck and choked her until she saw tars has been sentenced in Townsville District Court Pic: Supplied

A woman who lifted her sister off the ground by her neck has had her violent criminal history read aloud in court where it was described how she knocked someone’s teeth out, hit another in the head with a piece of wood and attempted to start a fire in someone’s house.

A 29-year-old woman who can’t be named to protect the identities of the victims, was sentenced in Townsville’s District Court on Wednesday after a violent outburst that led to her choking her teenage sister off the ground and throwing her into a wall when she ignored her request for alcohol money.

Crown prosecutor Laura Moore said seven different family members had domestic violence orders made against the woman as a “need of protection”.

Judge Philip McCarthy KC said the woman and her family had been drinking all day when she began strangling her sister.

“When it got to the evening, you asked your younger sister for money so you could buy some more alcohol,” he said.

“Your younger sister was only 19 … she was more interested in her phone rather than giving you money to go and get some grog.

“You grabbed her by the neck, you squeezed and lifted her off the ground around three or four centimetres.”

Judge McCarthy said another family member had to run at the woman and punch her in the arm to get her to let go of her sister’s neck.

The court heard that her sister only made a complaint to police about the strangulation nearly a year later.

“You told her at the time when she said she was going to your uncle’s house that ‘you better not call the police you little c--t.” Judge McCarthy said.

“The only reason she complained to the police is (she) was going to jail and she was terrified that she’d end up in the same jail as you because she thought you would harm her if she ended up in the same jail as you.”

Defence barrister Ross Malcomson said she had grown up around alcohol fuelled violence in her household.

During his sentencing Judge McCarthy told the woman he would give her the power over her own future because she was mature enough to know better.

“When you drink you have a tendency to take things into your own hands and to act violently when you’re not getting your way,” he said.

“You want your little sister to look up to you and think ‘my big sister is someone that can look after me’, not ‘my big sister’s the one that’s going to hurt me.

“(The community) are tired of people being violence to other family members, people that they love.

“It causes harm to the person involved that has been physically harmed and it causes harm to our community.”

She was sentenced to two and a half years’ jail wholly suspended.

His Honour declared the 523 days spent in pre-sentence custody as time already served.

Originally published as Woman’s history of domestic violence read aloud in Townsville District Court