By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A serial family violence offender who assaulted an ex-partner, kicked-in her car and threatened to burn down her house has been jailed.
The 35-year-old Narre Warren South man pleaded guilty at the Victorian County Court to persistently breaching a family violence order, intentionally damaging property and threatening to damage property.
Aside from a volley of insulting messages, the man verbally abused the victim and kicked a $5000 dent in her uninsured car during an argument in August 2023
Six months later, the man swore, verbally abused her and struck her to the head in a car park in front of their child and her mother.
He threatened to burn down the victim’s house by the end of the week.
As she tried to call triple-0 for help, the man pursued her, struck the phone out of her hand onto the ground and threatened her again.
She later reported the attack to a local police station.
In sentencing on 24 October, Judge Gavan Meredith said the man’s violent, threatening conduct while breaching intervention orders had significant impact on her.
The anxious and afraid victim moved into emergency accommodation, missed work and suffered financial stress during the ordeal.
The man had faced court three times previously for family-violence intervention order breaches, property damage and threats.
Two of the cases were against the same victim in 2021 and January 2024 – the latter only weeks before the car park incident.
On each occasion at court, he was fined only.
The man, raised in Pakenham, was effectively homeless and living with friends at the time. He’d long used meth in his 20s up until his child was born.
He’d not seen the child since his most recent offending.
The man had worked until a workplace injury in 2019. He’d unsuccessfully tried to return to this work this year.
Judge Meredith noted that there was a need to deter the man with imprisonment, given his continued offending.
He was jailed for six months followed by a two-year community corrections order.
The CCO includes 12 months’ supervision, as well as drug-and-alcohol and mental health treatment.
The man was also ordered to pay $5094.97 to the victim for damaging her car.
