A Charnwood man who assaulted his ex-partner while she held their infant son accused her of "stitching him up" after police allegedly uncovered a cannabis crop at his home, a court has heard.
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The man, 42, was charged with common assault over the alleged attack and appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
The court heard the pair was embroiled in a custody dispute over their five-month-old son and the man assaulted his ex-partner as he tried to remove the boy from her car on Sunday, December 27.
The prosecutor alleged the man grabbed the woman around the neck with one hand before he formed a fist with his other hand and pressed it against her face in a "menacing" way that caused her "a great deal of pain".
She described the alleged attack as a family violence offence that was "extremely concerning" and said the defendant had a history of assault although no charges had been previously laid.
The court heard detectives were on Monday seeking a warrant to seize three mature cannabis plants they allegedly discovered growing in a hydroponic set-up in a bedroom when they searched the man's home after the alleged assault.
No charges had been laid in relation to that matter.
The prosecutor said the woman told police her ex-partner smoked cannabis everyday and she was afraid because he left firearms and ammunition in easily accessible locations around the property.
Court documents alleged the defendant had told the woman he was angry at her for "stitching him up and ruining his life".
The prosecutor said the woman told police she was scared of what her ex-partner was capable of as he had started taking steroids which had made his behaviour erratic, she said.
The prosecutor opposed bail on the grounds the man could interfere with the woman as a witness in the family violence matters and any other charges brought against him linked to the alleged cannabis crop.
But Magistrate Bernadette Boss said it would be wrong on a matter of law to take the alleged cannabis plants into account in the bail application given no charges of drug trafficking or cultivation were before the court.
A duty defence lawyer told the court the man had no criminal history or previous violent offences before the court and a search warrant was still being carried out over the alleged cannabis plants.
The man allegedly told police the pair were merely involved in a "scuffle" at the time of the alleged assault and he just "pulled her away".
Dr Boss refused bail on grounds there was a likelihood the man would commit further offences.
She noted the alleged victim feared for her and their child's safety and said there was cause for considerable concern over the defendant's steroid use and the fact it appeared to have caused an escalation in his violent behaviour.
