By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A FAMILY violence offender who waved a long-bladed knife in front of his ex-partner as she fed their eight-month-old son and then repeatedly stabbed her fridge has been refused bail.
Joel Stephen Smith, a 26-year-old chronic ice user with “anger issues” and a “violent history”, also crashed his speeding car into a fence as he fled from police in Narre Warren, Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard on 30 November.
Informant Constable Sean Osborne of Frankston police said Smith had committed numerous breaches of an intervention order protecting his ex-partner, who was in fear of him.
In one instance Smith walked uninvited into the ex-partner’s home through the back door as she fed their son on 31 August.
The accused, who was holding a “huge hunting knife”, was quickly enraged when told by the victim to leave immediately, Const Osborne said.
He stabbed the fridge three times “penetrating the shell of the fridge with ease”, the informant told the court.
The ex-partner fled outside with her son and called police.
Two weeks later Smith allegedly went to the victim’s home and punched her in the stomach as she played with their son on a bed.
During the attack he pushed her back on the bed, pressed down on her and took away their son. He then repeatedly punched her upper arm.
On 28 October Smith was parked in a car with three friends in Sweeney Reserve, Narre Warren, when a police vehicle arrived, the court was told.
Smith allegedly drove his car towards and around the police car, pulled a U-turn and drove away over a flower bed.
The accused lost control of his car on a bend and collided with a fence.
He and the occupants were uninjured despite a metal pole smashing through the driver’s side window, Const Osborne said.
Smith scrambled over his front passenger to escape through a window and was found by police walking along Monash Freeway two kilometres away.
The unlicensed driver tested positive for methamphetamine at the time.
Smith’s lawyer said the accused did not concede he possessed two knives found in the car – a 30-centimetre hunting knife and a 20-centimetre double-bladed weapon.
The accused had gained 19 kilograms while in custody for the past month, which suggested he was detoxing from a “six points a day” ice habit, the lawyer said.
A credit bail program consisting of counselling and “long overdue” men’s behaviour change seminars would help Smith deal with the “depths of his addiction”, his lawyer said.
Magistrate Julie O’Donnell refused bail despite the “impressive” testimony of a long-time school friend who offered Smith a room while on bail.
Ms O’Donnell was concerned about the risk to the public, noting that Smith had committed his offences while on bail and that had been put on a community corrections order for family violence six weeks prior to his recent offending.
He had possessed a controlled weapon, was lucky not to injure anyone during the car crash, and was of particular danger to his ex-partner.
Smith was remanded to appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 16 December.
