Woman allegedly suffered 'almost unspeakable' violence while nine months pregnant

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged family violence.

The alleged violence suffered by a woman at the hands of her ex-partner while she was almost nine months pregnant, including having her teeth broken, was “almost unspeakable”, a magistrate has said.

The charges against the 30-year-old man, who legally can’t be named to protect the identity of the woman and her children, have increased to 27 after he was arrested and refused bail in July 2024.

Earlier in July 2024, it is alleged he choked and repeatedly slapped her in the head, then also choked his own son while the child was playing video games.

On 26 July, he allegedly grabbed her around her throat when she was almost nine months pregnant and later slapped her across her face up to 100 times, chipping two teeth and leaving her with swelling and bruises.

She claimed she tried to protect herself by dropping to the ground, rolling into a ball and asking him to stop hitting her.

But the man allegedly threatened to kill her, pinned her against the bed and held a pillow over her face, stopping her from breathing while their son yelled, “Stop hurting Mummy”.

He allegedly smashed the woman’s phone, then continued to hit her over the next 30 minutes until a friend arrived at the home.

Police were contacted and served an interim family violence order on the man, preventing him from contacting the woman.

However, he allegedly returned to her house on 27 July, dragged her up the stairs and started hitting her in a bedroom while telling her that she deserved it. He also allegedly pinned her against the wall by her neck.

The woman tried to escape the home, but he allegedly forced her to return, then kicked her in her hip and hit her in the back before telling her, “I don’t want the baby”.

Police arrived later that morning and arrested the man.

It has also been alleged that over a few days in August 2024, after he was remanded in custody at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC), he made calls to a friend and asked them to contact the woman, making requests regarding their children.

“If you could give my boy a big f-ing cuddle from his dad, that would be lovely,” he allegedly told the friend.

The man’s charges now include a single count of assaulting a pregnant woman, five counts of choking-related charges, seven counts of assault, two counts of unlawful confinement and two counts of threatening to kill a person. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He applied for bail for a second time in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (2 October) after spending about two months in custody on remand.

His defence barrister, James Maher, said while police had made “a whole raft of allegations”, there was “yet to be a single scrap of evidence served” on the defence team.

Mr Maher said when his client made the calls from the AMC, he’d recently been remanded in custody for the first time, he was coming off drugs and “was in a bad way”. The contact sought, if sought at all, was “rather benign” and nothing sinister, he said.

He said his client had recently been offered a place in a six-month residential rehabilitation program in NSW, which would give him an opportunity to address his drug use.

The prosecutor opposed bail, saying the woman was extremely frightened when police first arrived at her home and wouldn’t tell them what had allegedly happened to her. That didn’t happen until the man was remanded in custody.

When talking about alleged breaches of court orders, Magistrate Robert Cook accepted the prosecutor’s submission that the man thought “he can do what he likes”.

He described the alleged level of violence against the woman as “significant”, “gratuitous” and “simply extraordinary”, including having her teeth broken.

What the woman was alleged to have suffered was “almost unspeakable”, the magistrate said.

Magistrate Cook said the risks that could come from the man’s release to bail were too great.

“I have no confidence that this protected person would, in fact, be protected,” he said.

Bail was refused. The matter was adjourned to November.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.