Three years jail for prolonged attack on partner carrying his child

The “prolonged and brutal” attack had been witnessed by some of the children at home at the time, the court heard.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said she had seen “cracks appearing” after just months with the man “but by then we were under your spell”.

A 35-year-old man who repeatedly assaulted his then partner who was pregnant with his child has been jailed for three years.

After meeting the woman, who had children of her own, the man moved the family to a property outside Dalby and she became pregnant with his child, Toowoomba District Court heard.

However, he soon started to drink alcohol every day and his demeanour changed toward his partner and the children.

On December 5, last year, the drunken man had repeatedly assaulted the woman who retreated into a room, but he had forced his way in through the door, Crown prosecutor Ellen Fletcher told the court.

Even when she reminded him that she was 16 weeks pregnant with his child, he said “who cares” and continued the attack.

During the ensuing scuffle, the man had grabbed the woman by the throat and she had bitten his hand, Ms Fletcher said.

When one of the children went to a neighbour for help, the defendant man had assaulted that man who came to the aid of the woman who later that night escaped with the children, she said.

The man, who cannot be named due to domestic violence orders, was arrested and spent the ensuing 311 days in custody.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of common assault, and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, strangulation in a domestic setting, and breaching a domestic violence protection order.

The complainant woman was in court for the sentence hearing and provided a victim impact statement in which she said she noticed “cracks appearing after only a few months (with the man) but by then we were under your spell”.

Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren SC described the offending as a “prolonged and brutal assault on your partner”.

“It was a drunken attack as much as it was a brutal attack,” he said.

Judge Horneman-Wren said children witnessing domestic violence was a terrible experience which could “haunt them for the rest of their lives”.

Telling the man he needed supervision, Judge Horneman-Wren sentenced him to three years in jail but, declaring 311 days as time already served under the sentence, ordered he be released on parole as of December 4.