Man jailed for acting like a ‘domestic tyrant’

A MAN who tried to reconcile with his ex has been jailed after four days of acting as a "domestic tyrant".

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in the Bundaberg District Court to eight offences including strangulation.

Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook told the court the man and his former partner had an argument which resulted in him throwing her to the ground.

Mr Cook said after police arrived and issued a protection notice things escalated.

Mr Cook said the man and the woman were having another argument and the man said he was going to kill himself.

When his partner didn't react in the way he wanted to he threw her down.

The man pushed the woman down again and put his knee beside her head before putting his hand around her neck and squeezing.

Mr Cook said the pair's children tried to pull the man off their mother, who was left with two black eyes.

The court heard the following morning the man was apologetic and the woman told him to leave.

The following day the man got into bed with the woman who told him not to touch her.

The man then pinned the woman to the bed and put his hands around her neck and squeezed and shook her.

Mr Cook said the woman could not breathe and didn't fight back.

He said when police arrived the following morning the man tried to resist arrest.

Mr Cook said the man had no history of committing similar crimes and submitted a jail term of two-and-a-half to three years was appropriate.

Defence barrister Callan Cassidy said his client expressed shame for his acts.

"He cannot believe he behaved in that way and says it is out of character," he said.

Mr Cassidy said since being in custody his client felt physically recovered after suffering from a medical issue with his oesophagus which required surgery.

He said he had also been receiving counselling while in jail.

Mr Cassidy said at the time of the offending the man was trying to reconcile his relationship with his partner and was tired after a long drive from South Australia when he arrived in Woodgate after a number of breakdowns.

He said he was also on medication at the time.

He said the man was planning on returning to South Australia on his release.

Mr Cassidy said his submissions were consistent with those from the crown.

Judge Leanne Clare told the man he "behaved like a domestic tyrant".

"You abused, degraded and beat her, your children had to witness you doing those things," she said.

"The people that you harmed were the people most vulnerable to you.

"Events started with an argument over another woman, you screamed, spat and pushed your wife so hard she fell to the ground.

"When police arrived there were redness on her neck and chest and she covered for you.

"You were issued with a protection notice and she predicted things would get worse and that came to pass the next day."

Judge Clare said the violence included acts which would endanger life.

"It was a course of conduct that was persistent and escalating," she said.

"There is a particular quality to the nature of this violence that is cause for real concern.

"The readiness to put your hands around the throat of another person and to squeeze the breath from her is a red flag … you did it not once, but on two different occasion.

"Many people go through marital stress but few of them act in this violent way."

Judge Clare took into account the man had already spent 303 days in pre-sentence custody.

The man was sentenced to three years imprisonment with a parole released of April 8 2020 after having served 12 months.

The remainder of his term will be suspended for five years.