UPDATED: Martin Phillips, accused of punching a pregnant woman, granted bail

Martin Carl Phillips has been released from custody on bail. Photo: AFP.

UPDATED: Martin Carl Phillips was due to face a five-day hearing in the ACT Magistrates Court starting on 15 November but instead, the prosecution withdrew 12 charges against him, including three counts of assaulting a pregnant woman. Full story here.

9 FEBRUARY 2021: A Scullin man who allegedly punched a woman in her stomach while she was 22 weeks pregnant will be released from custody after he was granted bail.

Martin Carl Phillips previously pleaded not guilty to numerous charges he allegedly committed while on bail against the woman, including three counts of threatening to kill a person, three counts of assaulting a pregnant woman and two counts of forcible confinement.

The statement of facts from the Australian Federal Police submitted to the court details many instances of alleged abuse committed by the 35-year-old against the 20-year-old woman, including allegedly breaking her nose and punching her face as well as her pregnant stomach.

When Mr Phillips appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday (9 February) his lawyer, managing solicitor of the Aboriginal Legal Service’s Canberra office Dean Rutherford, was successful in arguing for bail.

When Magistrate James Lawton summarised his decision, he said the case related to incidents that were alleged to have taken place on January 25, 30 and 31 this year, and one of the significant factors he took into account was that the complainant in the matter had now travelled interstate.

Also, he said the complainant had sent texts to relatives and friends of Mr Phillips after she had spoken to police about injuries on her face, saying she had received them from two teenage girls.

Magistrate Lawton granted bail with the conditions that included Mr Phillips report to a Belconnen Police Station twice a day, reside at an address in Scullin with a night-time curfew, not leave the ACT and not contact the complainant.

Mr Phillips was released from custody and will return to court for a pre-hearing mention on 24 March.