Suspended jail term for man who choked and bruised partner

A man has been sentenced for strangling his partner during a fight involving an overheard phone conversation and cannabis.

Christian Neil Shearing

A DISPUTE over an overheard phone conversation and cannabis escalated into a fight which saw a woman choked, bruised and running into the street to get help.

In the Burnie Supreme Court on Monday, Christian Neil Shearing, of Hobart, was sentenced to 15 month is jail after pleading guilty to three counts of assault.

The sentence was wholly suspended on the condition Shearing does not commit any more serious crimes in the next three years.

Justice Tamara Jago said while Shearing had disputed he had strangled his partner in the Devonport home they shared in January last year, she believed the victim’s evidence.

“Her injuries were consistent with her account,” Justice Jago said.

“I read her victim impact statement. She feared she might die. Her vision was affected and she struggled to breathe.

“It was an act directed at domination and control.”

The neighbour who rang police after the woman escaped said she had heard a female yelling and screaming.

Justice Jago said police body worn camera footage also showed her neck was red and there was bruising on her arms.