Charleville man Junior Manomanosu Houtarau faces Toowoomba District Court for assault on ex-partner

A 25-year-old attacked the 40-year-old mother of his child inside her own bedroom. See what the court did with him.

A 25-year-old man who headbutted, punched and choked his ex-partner and mother of his child has been sentenced to two and a half years jail.

However, because he had already served one year in pre-sentence custody, Charleville man Junior Manomanosu Houtarau was released on immediate parole after he pleaded guilty to strangulation in a domestic setting and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Toowoomba District Court was told on July 23, 2022, the 40-year-old complainant woman had been out with friends when Houtarau had messaged her “if you want to act like a s--t I’ll treat you like one”.

He then went to the woman’s house and despite her ex-husband and children being there he pulled her into her bedroom, headbutted her to the top of her forehead and then punched her to the head, Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told the court.

He then choked her for about five seconds before throwing some of her clothing from her drawers onto the floor and pouring moisturising cream and perfume over them.

The attack only stopped when other people responded to the woman’s yelling, she said.

The court was told Houtarau had convictions for sexual assault of a female neighbour, serious assault of a woman over 60 and property related offences in his criminal history and he had been sentenced to probation and a 15-month jail term with immediate parole in the past.

Defence barrister Nathan Edridge told the court Houtarau accepted that he had a drinking problem and anger management issues.

During his time in custody, Houtarau had been working in the prison kitchen and laundry, he said.

Though born in the Solomon Islands, his client had lived in Australia since the age of two but he had attended some 15 different schools because his mother had moved the family around to avoid Houtarau’s father, he said.

Mr Edridge submitted his client had done enough time in custody and asked that he be released on parole at sentence.

Judge Jennifer Rosengren

Judge Jennifer Rosengren said the offending was very serious.

“This is a serious example of the infliction of violence against anyone but it is made all the worse by the fact that it occurred in the context of not only your partner but also the mother of your four-year-old child,” she told him.

“She did have the right to expect to feel safe and respected.”

Judge Rosengren noted Houtarau at the time had been working at the RSL in Charleville but upon release intended to live with his mother in Caboolture.

Judge Rosengren sentenced Houtarau to two and a half years in jail but, declaring 357 days as time already served under the sentence, ordered he be released on parole immediately.