Ipswich tradesman Tobey Jacob Smith guilty of brutal domestic violence

While a university cleaner was helping a Toowoomba student hide from her ex-partner after a brutal assault, the Ipswich tradesman broke into her unit and tampered with the engine of her car as part of a horrifying attack.

Tobey Jacob Smith leaving the Toowoomba Court House on Thursday, February 22, 2024, after pleading guilty to beating his ex-partner, despite the woman having a DVO out against him.

A Toowoomba and Ipswich tradesman who savagely attacked his ex-partner at a university campus walked free from court after pleading guilty to a raft of “disturbing” domestic violence crimes.

The tradesman, Tobey Jacob Smith was sentenced to a two year probation order after pleading guilty to not only assaulting the young woman, but breaking into her unit, and tampering with the engine of her car.

The woman had a domestic violence order in place against Smith at the time of the offending which occurred on Tuesday morning, December 12 2023, at the UniSQ Toowoomba student accommodation blocks.

When the 21-year-old was sentenced at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday, February 22, the court heard he went to the woman’s unit to talk to her about reconciling their relationship.

At the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday, February 22, Tobey Jacob Smith pleaded guilty to the following DV crimes; contravening a domestic violence order, assault, breaking in to a home, wilful damage, and unlawfully entering a car. .

However, when the woman told him she did not want to, he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head face first into a concrete and gravel pathway.

Police Prosecutor Chris Willson said Smith then turned the woman around to face him.

“He held her with an open hand by the jaw, pinning her down so that she could not speak, and has berated her and called her a c-nt and other derogatory names,” he said.

Senior Constable Willson said Smith then locked the woman out of her unit before ransacking it and taking off with her phone and car keys.

He said CCTV footage showed Smith opening the woman’s engine bay and tampering with multiple parts.

During this time the woman found a cleaner who helped her hide from Smith.

The court heard an ambulance was called to the campus to assess the woman who had cuts and abrasions to her arms and a large protruding bump on her forehead.

The court heard while a university cleaner was helping the woman hide from Tobey Smith, the Ipswich tradesman broke into her unit and tampered with the engine of her car.

Senior Constable Willson said the attack was “quite disturbing,” especially given there was a DVO order in place, and noted if the woman drove the vehicle, it was likely the engine would have malfunctioned and seized.

Solicitor Chris Neville said following his client’s arrest he lost his job, but Smith was recently employed as a hydraulics tradesman at hyperformance hydraulics at Wacol.

Mr Neville said the “context” of the assault was relevant, which was that the victim had sent Smith letters expressing her regret over the relationship breakdown, however it did not excuse Smith’s behaviour.

Magistrate Mark Howden said the crime was extremely serious.

“The courts will not tolerate this sort of behaviour against anyone, let alone an aggrieved… with a domestic violence order in place,” he said.

“Terms of imprisonment are the only option here.”

Tobey Jacob Smith leaving the Toowoomba Court House on Thursday, February 22, 2024, after pleading guilty to beating his ex-partner, despite the woman having a DVO out against him.

Mr Howden said several significant factors needed to be considered when calculating the penalty, which included Smith having no criminal history, entering an early plea, attending counselling sessions to address his behaviour, having spent 30 days in pre-sentence custody, and that he had not contacted the woman since.

Smith was sentenced to a nine month jail term with immediate parole, and a two year probation order.

The time he spent in custody was declared as time served and convictions were recorded.