Domestic violence not necessarily physical, magistrate warns
Though he had not physically assaulted the woman, his actions still breached his domestic violence order.
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DOMESTIC violence not only involved physical violence but any form of intimidation, a Toowoomba magistrate has warned.
“Domestic violence is not necessarily physical, it can be threats or intimidation,” Magistrate Kay Ryan told a 22-year-old man who pleaded guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court to two counts of breaching his domestic violence order.
Police prosecutor Nikola Prince told the court the domestic violence order against the man, who cannot be named so as to protect the identity of the victim, included a clause prohibiting him from approaching the woman or going to within 100 metres of where she lived in Dalby.
The man had twice breached the order by approaching the woman at her home on August 25 and again on September 14 when he had turned up at her home and tapped on windows causing the woman to be in fear, Ms Prince said.
The man appeared by video link from the watch house where he had spent two nights since his arrest, the court heard.
His solicitor Jessica Hine, of Peters Criminal Lawyers, told the court her client was a hard worker, working seven days a week.
Her client had been undergoing anger management counselling and was remorseful for his behaviour.
He had been in a relationship with the aggrieved for about five months and she was 16 weeks pregnant, she said.
Magistrate Ryan was scathing in her criticism of the man’s treatment of the aggrieved woman.
“This is the woman you are supposed to care about and who is carrying your child,” Ms Ryan berated him.
The man said he was sorry.
“I hate who I become when I get angry,” he told the court.
“I do care about her.”
Noting he had one previous domestic violence breach some three years ago against a different woman, Ms Ryan said he was still young and could learn.
She placed him on two years probation so he could get help addressing his anger issues.