By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Cranbourne West man has denied he was present during an alleged aggravated burglary and throttling of his ex-partner in her Lynbrook home – despite contradictory CCTV footage – on 10 January.
The man claimed he was at Eildon at the time and his car was not driveable but police asserted the vehicle was captured on nearby CCTV around the time of the assault, a Dandenong Magistrates’ Court bail hearing was told on 20 January.
Police informant Acting Sergeant Peter Brereton told the court the man – previously found guilty of family violence against the same victim – defied a full intervention order barring him from any contact.
The woman claimed the accused broke into the house and placed his hands around her throat, tripped her onto her back and continued to throttle her.
He then allegedly grabbed her arm, struck her four times to the left side of her face and screamed: “Why do you ignore me? Why do you send me insane?”
One of the young children Facebook messaged her grandmother and phoned her mother’s partner for help.
The victim was left with visible bruises to her upper arm, neck and legs, the court was told.
The man was facing four outstanding charges of contravening an intervention order with intent to harm and persistent breaches of the order against the same victim, the court was told.
The intervention order was served in July after he was charged over grabbing the ex-partner’s hair and threatening to “snap her neck” in front of one of her children in their car.
She requested the man to leave her, and he replied: “Not without f***ing you up first.”
He was fined and convicted over the matter at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in November.
At the Dandenong bail hearing, the man told the court that the victim made up the claims due to him “seeing another girl”.
“I wasn’t at her house at all. She’s been constantly contacting me.
“I’m a good person who’s basically had a rough time.
“I don’t think it would be the wrong thing to let me go with my parents (on bail).”
His mother told the court the man was “not well” with depression and anxiety, and had been living with her and her husband for the past six months.
“We are his support. It’s better he’s home with (us).”
Magistrate Lance Martin advised the man and his mother not to argue against the case’s facts without a lawyer present but noted the facts were in dispute.
Mr Martin said that the man failed to show cause for release on bail, noting police feared he was likely to re-offend.
The accused was remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 25 January.
