A drug trafficker caught in the ACT's biggest seizure of cocaine beat his partner so savagely that she cried blood when he eventually let her go to hospital, a court has heard.
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Forensic officers found blood spattered on the ceiling of the home of David Anthony O'Brien, 52, following the prolonged bashing and confinement of the woman.
O'Brien, who is now being sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court, drugged his partner and threatened to "bury her in the forest" during the ordeal, which began as they arrived home from a party in August 2012.
He became angry outside their house, and turned and punched her in the face while they sat in the car.
Once inside, he dragged her by her hair into the bedroom and repeatedly punched her.
The violence continued for lengthy periods, and O'Brien beat her until she nearly lost consciousness. She would recover and he'd beat her again.
She pleaded with him to take her to hospital, but he refused, confining her to the home.
At one point, the woman tried to escape, but he caught her and beat her again.
Crown prosecutor Anthony Williamson told the court on Friday that, when O'Brien eventually took her to the emergency department, a nurse saw her crying blood.
O'Brien told her to lie to explain her injuries to medical staff.
Police later searched O'Brien's home and were told he had been seen accessing his neighbour's storage area without permission. A search of the area revealed a major haul of cocaine.
Drug squad Detective Sergeant Shane Scott said on Friday it was the biggest single seizure he'd seen in his 14 years in the force.
About 930 grams was found, 342 grams of which was pure.
That would have netted anywhere between an estimated $280,000 to $325,000 on Canberra's streets.
O'Brien is also being sentenced for attempting to pervert the course of justice and for perjury.
Mr Williamson said it was not melodramatic to describe the injuries O'Brien inflicted on his partner as "horrific".
He said there was a large degree of terror and fear.
"We would submit in this case, it would have been extreme. [The victim] thought she was going to die," he said.
The man's barrister Ray Livingston accepted that the offences were serious.
Mr Livingston noted his client had pleaded guilty to some of the charges, including the drug trafficking matters.
He asked the court not to impose a crushing sentence and to allow the 52-year-old to live some of his life in the period after he becomes eligible for parole.
Mr Livingston said O'Brien had "far from the worst record your honour has seen".
The Crown argued O'Brien had shown little insight and no remorse for his crimes, saying there was limited scope to structure the sentence to encourage rehabilitation.
Justice John Burns will hand down sentence in the case next month.
