Toowoomba Magistrates Court told young child witnessed father’s harrowing assault on mother

A magistrate called on a man to break the cycle of generational violence that has trapped too many Indigenous families as she jailed him for a savage assault on his partner that was witnessed by his young son.

A man was sentenced to 12 months in jail after he punched his partner in the head about 15 times.

The cycle of generational violence that has trapped too many Indigenous families was laid bare in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court when a man was sentenced to jail for a harrowing assault on his partner.

Police prosecutor Anita Page told the court that the 33-year-old man was intoxicated when he flew into a rage and punched his partner in the head about 15 times while she was driving with their two-year-old son in the back seat.

The man was arrested a short time after the assault, on August 31, and he was held on remand until he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of breaching a domestic violence protection order and one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm and disqualified driving.

Acting in his defence, solicitor Michael Corbin, of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, said his client had a transient childhood, growing up in homes across Gladstone, Toowoomba, NSW and Victoria.

“There was lots of alcoholism and violence in the family home,” he said.

Mr Corbin said his client struggled with alcoholism, adding the violent offending that stained his criminal record was fuelled by the drink.

Magistrate Kyna Morice sentenced the man to 12 months in jail and ordered his release on immediate parole.

In doing so, Ms Morice called on the man to stop the cycle of violence.

“You were not meant to be within 100m of the aggrieved, there was no reason for you to be there but you pick and choose when you want to comply with court orders,” she said.

“You were intoxicated, you asked your partner to drive you home and because she said you were drunk you punched her 10 to 15 times while she was driving.

“I cannot begin to imagine how fearful she would have been for herself and her son who was in the back.

“If she had passed out, there could have been a crash with serious injuries.

“Your son watched his father flog his mother, you know what that was like because it was your childhood.

“You did not deserve it growing but you were exposed to this sort of violence and this is where you are now.

“If you don’t want your son to be sitting where you are then you need to change your ways.”