A Canberra man called the police to report his partner for a bail breach after he shoved her into a glass cabinet and hit her in the head with a plastic speaker.
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The offender claimed the victim - who had conditions not to drink alcohol - had "gone crazy and smashed the place up" when police arrived and noticed glass, blood, and items strewn through the Ngunnawal property.
The incident was just one of a number of domestic violence incidents which saw the man jailed by an ACT Supreme Court judge last week.
The man, 31, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one charge of causing grievous bodily harm, and four common assaults.
The court heard, after the police were called in September last year, officers took the woman to hospital, but she discharged herself and went home to clean up before going to bed.
The couple reconciled, but the next day, the offender threw a plastic jewellery box at the victim’s head before he pulled her down the stairs by her hair.
He then threw his weight on her, causing a snapping sound and her great pain, demanded she clean the house, and poured vodka on her head.
She managed to escape and call the police, but the man claimed she had damaged his property and fallen down the stairs.
The victim was taken to hospital where x-rays revealed she had a fractured ankle.
When she returned to the home to collect her possessions, the offender called the police, who arrested the woman for being intoxicated in breach of her bail.
The victim spent 10 days in custody, during which time she had surgery to insert a screw and metal plate to fix her leg.
During this time, the offender emailed the woman to apologise and the couple reconciled.
However, the violence continued over the Christmas-New Year period.
The victim was again arrested on a bail breach, but authorities noticed she had a number of injuries on her body.
In mid-January to pair fought over cigarettes and the offender pulled out some of the victim’s hair.
The man was arrested soon after when he threatened to harm a neighbour and her dogs.
The victim then agreed to make a statement to police about the long history of domestic violence.
At sentencing, Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson rated the offences as mid-range.
In a letter to the court, the offender expressed remorse and said his time spent behind bars had been a wake-up call.
He said he now knew he needed to address his drinking and anger management issues.
The court heard he had a limited criminal history.
Justice Loukas-Karlsson sentenced the man to four years jail, to be backdated to take into account time spent in custody, and suspended after serving eight months behind bars.
The judge said domestic violence was unacceptable.
"It must be recognised by the court that the offences have had a significant impact upon the victim," she said.
"Both the short and long-term consequences of being the victim of domestic violence must be acknowledged.
"It must also be recognised that no sentence that the court imposes can rectify the consequences of what has occurred to the victim in the commission of the offences by the offender."
