‘I’m going to slit her throat’: man faces court over alleged attack

A man allegedly entered his sleeping partner’s house, punched her ribs, bashed her with a metal road, pulled her hair, and stabbed her clothes with a knife, a Hobart court has heard.

A man allegedly entered his sleeping partner’s house, punched her ribs, bashed her with a metal road, pulled her hair, and stabbed her clothes with a knife, a Hobart court has heard.

Danny Howard Arnold fronted the Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday for contest mention over four counts of assault, property destruction, and a police family violence order breach.

The charges date back to July 4 2021 at 12.50am, when Arnold allegedly entered his partner’s New Town house with two friends while intoxicated.

The prosecutor said Arnold yelled in her face and punched her six times to the ribs, and then withdrew a metal rod from a clothes rack and bashed her with it three times.

Summarising the prosecution case, he told the court Arnold took her iPhone and bashed it against the bedside table before grabbing her by the hair and dragged her off the bed.

The prosecution said Arnold then kicked her head “with force” before going to the kitchen to grab a knife, yelling “I’m going to kill her, I’m going to slit her throat, I’ll get her”.

The prosecution said he went back into the bedroom with the knife, picked up several of his partner’s clothes, and stabbed them.

Danny Howard Arnold. Picture: Kenji Sato

Prosecution said after the assaults he left on foot towards New Town Kmart, whereupon police arrived to speak with the partner.

He said Arnold jumped over the backyard fence to confront his partner once more, jumping back over the fence when he saw police in attendance.

The prosecution said Arnold was intercepted on Clare Street where he was arrested, taken to Hobart Police Station, and questioned at 2.50pm.

Less than an hour after release, Arnold allegedly sent Snapchat messages to his partner, one of which read “If you don’t drop these charges I will go to jail. Accept what will happen.”

The prosecution said police arrived at Arnold’s house at 8.15pm and arrested him again, seizing his phone and discovering several messages between him and his sister.

In response to his sister’s message “What did you say?” he allegedly replied: ‘“Told her she caused all this. This is her fault, I’m going to jail because of her. I will come after her when she’s out f-cking other guys atm.”

His defence lawyer said Arnold disputed parts of the prosecution’s case, namely that he took out a metal rod from a clothes rack and bashed her with it.

Arnold is also alleging that the clothes rack fell on the bed, and that his partner had grabbed his neck forcing him to pin her down.

Handing down his sentence indication, Magistrate Chris Webster said Arnold would receive three months in prison wholly suspended for three years if he pleads guilty.

The defence said his client had gone to anger management classes and had since found a new partner.

The case was adjourned to October 17 2022 at 10am.