Man, 45, faces Toowoomba Magistrates Court for serious domestic violence offending

A Toowoomba magistrate said he had never seen so many DV offences in one sentence as details of the man’s horror blowtorch attack were read out in court.

A 45-year-old man who systematically inflicted domestic violence on his partner including applying a “blow torch” lighter to her leg has been jailed.

The man, who is not named so as to protect the identity of the woman, appeared via video link from the Brisbane Men’s Prison on Wednesday to plead guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court to 17 offences against his then partner which included stalking, spitting on her and “blow torching” her.

Acting magistrate Paul Byrne said he had never seen so many domestic violence offences in one sentence, which came on top of the man’s previous criminal history which included 30 convictions for domestic violence order breaches against former partners.

Referring to the most serious of the 17 offences before the court, Mr Byrne noted the defendant had told the aggrieved woman “I’m going to f--king burn you” before holding a blow torch jet style lighter to her leg and lighting it, causing immediate pain to the woman’s leg.

The 45-year-old man pleaded guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court to shocking domestic violence against his then partner.

She had recoiled back and told him to stop, but he continued to swear at her and held the lighter to her leg again, the court was told.

Repeatedly swearing at the woman, the man told the terrified victim “if I was a woman basher, I would have bashed you a long time ago”.

Mr Byrne noted the victim was in court watching proceedings and “incredibly” had provided a letter to the court supportive of the man.

“The aggrieved in this matter has been put through hell by you and I hope you’ve got no designs on reconciliation,” Mr Byrne told the man.

“I would have thought the least you could do is let her have a life free of the nightmare that you visited upon her.”

The man’s solicitor Alysha Jacobsen, of Bouchier Khan Lawyers, told the court her client suffered diagnosed mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, and she believed that neither her client nor the aggrieved wanted to continue the relationship.

The 45-year-old man at the time had stopped taking his medication which led to paranoia and him believing the aggrieved was cheating on him, she said.

Upon his release from jail, her client intended moving to the Birdsville area, Ms Jacobsen said.

Mr Byrne sentenced the man to 15 months in jail but, declaring the 143 days he had spent in pre-sentence custody as time already served, ordered he be released on parole immediately.