Harlaxton man fined for controvening domestic violence order

A Harlaxton man thought he was in the clear to hit the bottle when his partner took her kids to see their grandma. Unfortunately, he hit it too hard and landed in the watch house.

When a Harlaxton man’s partner said she would take her kids to stay with her mother, he took that as a sign he was free to hit the bottle with a drinking mate.

However, those cold drinks landed him in hot water after the woman’s plans changed, the Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

She returned home on Monday afternoon to find her partner heavily intoxicated and verbally abusive.

Police prosecutor Chris Wilson said officers attended the Toowoomba region address and located the man surrounded by empty alcohol bottles.

A blood alcohol concentration test returned a reading of 0.375 per cent, which violated a domestic violence order in place against the man.

It required that he have a blood-alcohol concentration below 0.05 per cent while in his partner’s company.

“He indicated he had invited a friend to the house that morning, as the aggrieved was staying with her mother,” Mr Wilson said.

“He continued to drink through the morning and after the aggrieved had returned home.”

Acting for the defence, solicitor Brad Skuse said the man assumed he had the all clear and that his partner would not be home until the following day.

“Unfortunately, those plans changed,” he said.

“He accepts that what he should have done on this occasion is leave the residence.”

The man was arrested, charged with contravening a domestic violence order and held in the watch house to sober up.

After the man pleaded guilty, Magistrate Andrew Cridland fined him $750, recorded the conviction and said he knew what the right course of action should have been.

“But maybe at 0.375 your brain was not up to that thought,” he said.