Huon Valley man pleads guilty to 10 years of brutally assaulting partner, starting with fuel douse

A Huon Valley man’s reign of terror over his partner went for 10 long years, starting when he poured fuel over her and tried to light it. But his violence didn’t end there.

JARRAH Church-Clark first began committing acts of violence upon his girlfriend a decade ago, when he poured generator fuel over her and tried to light it.

His violence didn’t end there.

Over a 10-year period, a court heard, Church-Clark harmed his partner in a variety of ways – stomping on her head, headbutting her, kicking a bottle of Jack Daniels in her face, swinging a steel bar at her and repeatedly choking her to the point of unconsciousness.

On Tuesday, the 30-year-old appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania, pleading guilty to persistent family violence between 2011 and 2021.

Crown prosecutor Georgia Robinson told the court that in 2011, the couple had been at a Dover party when Church-Clark became jealous.

He locked her out of their home before pouring fuel over her and unsuccessfully trying to light it, before dousing a surfboard and threatening to burn the house down.

Huon Valley man Jarrah Church-Clark has pleaded guilty to persistent family violence, which started in 2011 when he poured fuel over his girlfriend and tried to light it. Picture: Facebook

The woman, who said the fuel stung her skin and eyes, went to her mother’s house and said “Jarrah tried to set me alight”.

Ms Robinson said it took several showers to wash the fuel off.

The court heard that on another occasion, Church-Clark held the woman’s head to the ground so she could not breathe.

He then started smashing holes in the house, grabbing a large fish tank – which contained fish – and smashed it on the ground.

In 2019, the woman asked for Church-Clark not to have drugs delivered to the house.

He stomped on her head and threw her against the wall.

The next day the woman asked a hairdresser she knew to cut her hair, as she had bald patches from the attack.

Last year, during an argument, Church-Clark said “I’m sick of this shit” and headbutted her, the court heard.

Then last October, he put his arm around the woman’s neck and strangled her, until she could not breathe and lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she grabbed her car keys and had almost left the house when Church-Clark grabbed her from behind, grabbed her around her neck and said “you’re not f … ing calling them”, referring to the police.

She again passed out from the attack.

Church-Clark will return to court on Thursday to challenge further elements of the case in dispute.

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