Woman's domestic abuse of 'ex' leads to jail term

SHE was prohibited from going to her ex-partner's home but she turned up, verbally abused him, threatened him and sprayed a "stinging" substance in his face.

Toowoomba Courthouse. Picture: Bev Lacey

A WOMAN who verbally abused and sprayed a "stinging" substance into her ex-partner's face has been handed a jail term.

The 53-year-old, who cannot be named due to domestic violence orders, was subject to a police protection order and prohibited from going to the Cotswold Hills home where her ex-partner lived.

However, police had been called to the house about 10.15am, December 21, when she had caused a disturbance, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

Appearing to be drug affected, she was taken to Toowoomba Hospital.

However, the next day she had broken into the home through a broken glass window and went on a tirade of abuse against her partner and others in the house, police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton told the court.

Brandishing a pair of scissors, she threatened those in the house would be bashed and raped.

Then on December 24, she returned, again threatening the occupants and twice spraying her ex-partner in the face with a yellow substance from a spray bottle which stung, Sgt Hutton said.

Her solicitor Phil Stainton told the court his client claimed the animosity between his client and her ex-partner was a two-way street but she admitted she had breached the orders.

His client intended leaving Toowoomba and moving to Western Australia to live with her daughter, he said.

Magistrate Robbie Davies said the woman had a "flagrant drug problem" and ordinarily he would impose probation so she could get help but because she was moving interstate he would not order probation.

Mr Davies sentenced her to three months in jail but suspended the term in full for 12 months.