Abuser locked away after sending 210 messages to ex

When the Department of Corrections heard the man sent hundreds of messages to his ex in breach of a domestic violence protection order, it revoked his parole and sent him back to jail, where he will remain for several months.

Over two nights in October a man with a repulsive history of domestic violence sent more than 200 Facebook messages to his ex-partner begging that she take him back.

On Friday the Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard 32 messages were sent between 11.58am and 6.22pm on October 6 and 177 were sent between 8.01pm and 10.46pm on October 13.

The messages were reported to police and the Department of Corrections revoked the man’s parole which stemmed from a District Court-order jail sentence for an assault charge.

Police Prosecutor Bettina Trenear told the court that there were no threats in the 210 messages but that they still breached a domestic violence order that prohibited contact.

“They were consistent and persistent,” she said.

In sentencing Magistrate Kay Ryan said the messages were a clear breach.

“The sheer overwhelming number would seem harassing to the person who did not want to receive them,” she said.

Ms Ryan recorded the convictions but did not further punish the man, noting that the man had been in custody for 142 day already and was unlikely to be released before serving out the District Court sentence on July 24.