Toowoomba DV offender who brutalised woman guilty of 56 crimes

A “controlling” man’s “terrifying, despicable, and disgusting,” reign of terror on a woman he was “supposed to care for” was laid bare in court as he blamed her for his 56 charge crime spree.

Richard James Isaacs was released from custody at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court in January 2025 after serving months for violent acts of domestic violence and other various crimes.

A transient regional Queensland man who repeatedly attacked his ex-partner in 2024 has been released from custody after he pleaded guilty to committing more than 50 crimes in the span of a month.

When Richard James Isaacs entered the pleas before the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday, January 14, the court heard his most serious crime was assaulting a former partner.

The unemployed Toowoomba man, who has also lived in Murgon and Ipswich, pleaded guilty to a raft of domestic violence charges which included assault occasioning bodily harm and four counts of common assault which occurred on separate occasions.

After successful case conferencing between prosecutions and MacDonald Law, Isaacs had his most serious charge, strangulation, dismissed.

Isaacs also pleaded guilty to 28 stealing charges amounting to several thousands of dollars, two charges of evading police, unlicensed driving, bail breaches, and not appearing at court charges.

The court heard Isaacs’ offending was partly influenced by his meth use, especially the stealing charges which related to luxury items and tools as well as food and necessity items.

The court heard he and his partner were living out of a car during the offending period.

Richard James Isaacs was released from custody at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court in January 2025 after serving seven months for violent acts of domestic violence and other various crimes.

“Despicable and disgusting” acts of DV

Police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb said Isaacs controlling and violent behaviour towards his former partner was despicable, disgusting, and very concerning.

During a lengthy assault in March in the South Burnett region, Mr Brewster-Webb said the young man repeatedly punched the woman until her mouth was bloody and only stopped after a teenage bystander was forced to intervene when Isaacs put her in a chokehold.

Mr Brewster-Webb said on other occasions Isaacs dragged the woman by the hair, punched her, and slammed her into walls.

“In (one) situation (where she) was feeling so fearful she had to escape (his) vehicle then (him) speeding up and forcing her back into the vehicle,” he said.

During the terrifying public assault in the moving vehicle, he said Isaacs grabbed the woman by the neck before she had an opportunity to flee the car when it stopped at traffic lights.

When details of the assaults were briefly heard in court, Isaacs continuously shook his head.
Isaacs instructed his lawyer that it was his ex-partner and the aggrieved who made him drive unlicensed and steal, and that he had been trying to end the “toxic relationship”.
The court heard he had not used drugs since his arrest in June 2024 and he intended to stay clean and care for his ailing mother in Toowoomba.

The court heard he had a two-page criminal history with minor crimes relating to drug and domestic violence for which he received fines.
He had no prior assault convictions.

Sentence

Magistrate Kyna Morice told Isaacs despite his assertions about the “toxic relationship,” it was not an excuse and his despicable and terrifying behaviour could “never be justified”.
“I accept that you were extensively embroiled in methamphetamine use… that’s (also) certainly not an excuse for your behaviour but I accept it is potentially a part of and reason why you committed all of these offences,” she said.

“Hopefully (the significant time you have served) acts as a stopgap for you because your life, to be frank, was out of control.

“You were doing whatever you liked; running from police, stealing from businesses, driving without a licence, and assaulting the person who you were meant to love and care for.

The 222 days Isaacs was in custody was his first stint in jail.

“I’m told that when you are released from custody you want to get a house with your mum so you can continue to help care for her.

“The irony is that you… want to care for somebody in circumstances where you’ve been in custody for a significant period of time because you’ve been... violently assaulting somebody who you should have been caring for.”

Isaacs’ head sentence was an 18 month jail term, with 222 days to be served before his release on a three year probation order.

Magistrate Morice warned Isaacs that if he committed a crime within the next year or failed to comply with his parole officer, he could be re-sentenced and serve more time in jail.

The 222 days he spent on remand were declared as time served, and his licence was disqualified for two years.

The court heard while in custody Isaacs started a men’s behavioural change program.