SUDDENLY, a man with no criminal history exploded into a rage and added to alarming statistics that paint Wagga as having one of the worst rates of domestic violence in the state.
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The family man with two children got into an argument with his partner when she tried to stop him driving her car.
According to facts tendered to Wagga Local Court this week, the man grabbed the woman around the neck with both hands and lifted her off the ground.
“The victim had trouble breathing,” the police facts said.
A four-year-old child next to the couple was crying out.
The man walked out of the house with the car keys and when the woman tried to stop him getting into the car he grabbed her around the throat again and lifted her off the ground.
The assault ended when another person stepped in.
Police were called and found the woman crying and distressed.
She showed them bruising to both sides of her neck.
The man was originally charged with choking offences, but negotiations between his solicitor, Selwyn Hausman, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), resulted in the man pleading guilty to the lesser offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Mr Hausman put to magistrate Michael Crompton that his client was not taking his medication for depression at the time of the assault, had been suffering from a lack of sleep and had financial problems.
Mr Hausman said the man had addressed his medical issues since the assault.
He said the man had been a “respected member of the community”.
Mr Crompton sentenced the man to 60 hours of community service.
Statistics released by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research recently showed a 50 per cent increase in domestic violence in the Wagga Local Government area over 12 months.
- If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can ring the Domestic Violence Line for help on 1800 656 463. The help line is available 24 hours, seven days a week.
