Brandon John Usher pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to assault, drug charges

After a Toowoomba father was confronted by his covert use of a dating app by his current partner, a court was told he reacted with violence. MORE DETAILS.

Brandon John Usher faced the Toowoomba magistrates court on Wednesday, March 13, on drug and domestic violence charges. Photo: Jacklyn O'Brien.

A Toowoomba man has faced court after an argument with his partner turned violent.

Brandon John Usher pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on March 13 to a total of seven charges, including assault occasioning bodily harm and possessing a knife.

The court was told the charges all related to events that took place on September 21, 2023.

Police prosecutor Anita Page told the court the man had an argument with his partner which had turned violent, before he left the premises and where he was found smoking marijuana in his car.

Ms Page said Usher and the victim had been in an intimate relationship for 12 months, and shared a baby before the incident.

Police were called to the South Toowoomba address in relation to a domestic violence incident at about 9.40pm on September 21.

When police arrived, Usher had already left the scene, and the victim gave a statement to police.

The victim told police an argument ensued after she had found out that Usher was using dating app Tinder and social media site Twitter to talk to other women.

The argument escalated to violence, with Usher pushing past the victim as she stood in the doorway holding the baby, shoving the victim out of the front door resulting in bruising and scrapes to her body, and Usher grabbing the victim’s jaw and pretending to throw punches.

After the altercation, Usher packed a bag and told the victim he was leaving, while the victim called police.

Police later found the man in a car in Rangeville, where they found dangerous drugs, drug utensils, a knife and a gel blaster in his possession.

Police confiscated Usher’s knife and gel blaster during his arrest.

Usher’s defence lawyer, Brad Skuse of Graham Skuse Criminal Lawyers conceded the forfeiture of the gel blaster, but asked if the knife could be returned to the man as it was part of a set.

Acting Magistrate Bain declined to allow the return of the knife, citing her concern of its use as a weapon, though it was not a particular feature of this matter.

“Knives are a concerning feature of domestic violence and violence generally at the moment,” Ms Bain said.

In total, Usher pleaded guilty to two charges of common assault, one charge of assault occasioning bodily harm, one charge of possessing dangerous drugs, one charge for possessing drug utensils, one charge of possessing a knife and one charge of having restricted items.

Given his protracted criminal history, including previous domestic violence offences in both 2019 and 2020, and four instances of probation, Usher received a three month wholly suspended sentence with an 18 month operational period for the domestic violence offending, and a conviction was recorded.

For the drug related offences, Usher was given an 18 month probation period and a conviction was recorded.

Ms Bain also applied probation conditions which compel Usher to acquire a mental health care plan, and to partake in counselling and a domestic violence help program.