A man who struck his ex-partner in her jaw and grabbed his 12-year-old daughter by her hair when she tried to stop him, was sentenced to jail recently.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 42-year-old, who is not named to protect the victims, was sentenced in Orange Local Court and after launching a severity appeal he was refused bail.
According to police, the woman and child were asleep in their home about 11pm on May 14, but the woman woke up after hearing a noise and she discovered the man had let himself into house and was in her lounge room.
When she approached him, the man struck her on the jaw knocking her onto a couch.
The child woke up due to the noise, and tried to intervene but the man grabbed her by her hair and pulled her backwards.
The women then intervened when he raised his fist to the child and he pushed the woman into the kitchen.
The woman fell and the man grabbed her head and started banging it into the kitchen floor and said "I'm going to kill you".
The man then demanded she buy him cigarettes and while she was out he made the child look for cigarette butts on the neighbours' front lawn.
If he's abstinent he's safe, if he isn't abstinent he's dangerous.
- Magistrate David Day
The child lit a candle to search for the cigarette butts.
The assault was reported to police on May 17 and when he was arrested the man told police he drank 1.5 litres of white wine and went to the house invited.
He told police he argued with the woman about cigarettes and "may have shoved her," and may have "blacked-out" but he denied hurting the child or making threats.
Solicitor Clive Hill said the man had been abstinent from alcohol since July.
"Alcohol is the man criminogenic factor, he's been attending Alcoholics Anonymous since 2012, he's also been attending Narcotics Anonymous," Mr Hill said.
"He's ashamed of this and feels a great deal of remorse."
Magistrate David Day gave the man a total jail sentence of two years and a 12-month non-parole period. The man could be released on parole on July 26, 2020. He will also have to take part in alcohol rehabilitation.
The sentences were for intimidation between 11pm and 11.59pm, and two assaults between 11am and 2am.
"If he's abstinent he's safe, if he isn't abstinent he's dangerous," Mr Day said during the bail hearing after the man was sentenced.
"He is aware that when he drinks he becomes aggressive and he shows that aggression to people who were asleep in their own home."
DO YOU WANT MORE ORANGE NEWS?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...