A man has been jailed after attacking two people inside a car in Crace during what a magistrate has described as a "spontaneous and vicious" assault.
David Mailau, also known as Tevita Tui'tavake Mailau, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of damaging property after he attacked his former partner and her male friend while they sat in a Mercedes-Benz outside her house on March 19 last year.
Mailau, 45, approached the car, which was reversing out of the driveway, and called his former partner a "f---ing slut" and "dirty c---".
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He then punched the man through the open driver's seat window four times in the face while he still had his seat belt on. This fractured the man's nose, causing his face to bleed and his right eye to swell up.
The woman recorded part of the attack on her phone and called triple-0, which caused Mailau to hit his former partner on her arm and take her phone.
He then smashed the phone on the driveway and left. He was later arrested by police and granted bail.
Mailau had a prior conviction from 2018 for assaulting the same woman.
The 45-year-old was sentenced on Wednesday to a total of 20 months behind bars.
Magistrate James Lawton gave a "lower than usual non-parole period" of eight months after Mailau pleaded guilty to all charges and ordered him to pay $500 for the smashed phone.
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Soofia Tariq
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au