Burnie Supreme Court: Corey Broderick pleads guilty to assaulting girlfriend

A former ice user hit his girlfriend so hard he ruptured her eardrum and fractured her skull. See what lead to the horrific act of violence.

Corey Broderick faced the Burnie Supreme Court.

A former ice user who slapped his partner so hard he ruptured her eardrum and fractured her skull will be sentenced in December.

Corey Broderick, 35, and his partner were living in units in John St, Ulverstone in May last year when he assaulted her.

On Monday he was due to stand trial in the Supreme Court in Burnie.

Just before the trial was due to get under way Broderick changed his plea to guilty on a charge of assault.

The court was told Broderick slapped the woman when he could not find his tobacco and accused her of stealing it.

“You have taken everything you dog,” he said before he struck her to the face and she fell down.

The woman went to the North West Regional Hospital and had a CT scan which was shown to Justice Tamara Jago in court.

It showed she had a ruptured eardrum and a skull fracture.

She needed surgery.

The court was told the victim was still wanting to be in a relationship with Broderick who his defence counsel said had “really cleaned up his act”.

Crown prosecutor Phillipa Edwards told Justice Jago Broderick’s crime was a serious example of assault and one strike can, and has, killed people in the past.

“It was an over the top reaction to the loss of tobacco,” she said.

Brockerick is now living with his mother and will be assessed for home detention before being sentenced on December 7.