Paul Galea: The Tattoo Society boss sentenced for DV charges

The founder of a top Tassie tattoo studio threatened his ex-wife, assaulted her and destroyed her property, trashing $8000 worth of goods. He blames it on drugs and emotional immaturity.

The Tattoo Society Launceston owner Paul Phillip Galea, 31. Picture: Facebook

The boss of a Tasmanian tattoo studio continued to deny to a court-appointed psychologist that he assaulted his ex-wife despite his guilty plea, a court has heard.

Paul Phillip Galea, 31, was sentenced in Launceston Magistrates Court on Thursday after previously pleading guilty to 17 domestic violence charges.

The included, most seriously, common assault, two counts of destroying property, and possessing a prohibited shotgun gel-blaster.

The remainder of the charges related to breaching orders, his bail and a police family violence order.

His offending was committed at Riverside and Westbury between May 21 last year and February 20 this year. He spent a total of seven days in pre-sentence custody across the offending.

His most serious offending was committed at Westbury on May 21 last year. He entered his ex-wife’s residence and destroyed about $8000 worth of property, including the “glass doors on two display cabinets, a cake display lid, an iPhone 11 Pro and a dining room table chair”.

It was an episode of “sustained aggression and destruction,” Magistrate Simon Brown said.

Later, on August 5, he entered the woman’s residence again, destroyed more property and assaulted her by tripping her to the ground.

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Mr Brown said Galea conducted an approximately six-month campaign of terror against the woman, sending her abusive and threatening messages and arriving unannounced at her residence “about three times a week” at one stage.

“This is very serious family violence offending,” he said.

Mr Brown probed defence lawyer Fran McCracken over a line in Galea’s pre-sentence report in which the court-appointed psychologist reported that Galea continued to deny he had assaulted his ex-wife.

“What am I to make of that?” Mr Brown asked.

“The guilty plea is maintained,” Ms McCracken responded.

Mr Brown concluded Galea had a “limited understanding” of the seriousness of his conduct.

The court heard that “drugs played an issue” in much of Galea’s offending, as did the fact this was his “first serious adult relationship” and he found its ending “difficult”.

Mr Brown addressed an earlier submission by Ms McCracken that the abuse was “not a one-way street”.

“At the end of the day, family violence is so often perpetrated by men against women. Whether she was difficult to you is of limited value, two wrongs don’t make a right,” Mr Brown said.

“This was a pattern of violence and instilling fear... you were spiteful and controlling.”

Galea was sentenced to 18 weeks’ imprisonment. As he had already served one week, the remaining 17 were suspended for two years on the condition he perform 63 hours of community service and submit to a Community Correction Order.