By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A MAN who breached an intervention order by drinking wine in his ex-partner’s Cranbourne East home has debated his “alcoholism” with a magistrate.
The accused told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court that he “helped” his partner by sharing three bottles of wine that she brought home on 7 February.
The man told the court on 15 February that he was concerned about his “alcoholic” partner who had been caring for their six-month-old baby.
“She could drink the three bottles herself. I stupidly thought I could help her like that.”
Magistrate Gerard Bryant told the man he must be in “communications or marketing, or a politician to have an argument like that”.
“So you’re acting in a selfless capacity? You don’t want her to drink all three so you thought you’d assist her.”
After the couple downed the wine, they argued over a fan keeping the man awake in bed that night, the court heard.
The partner then called police who noted the man smelt of alcohol.
The man told the court that he was not an alcoholic though he attended alcohol counselling and AA meetings.
“What’s AA stand for?” Mr Bryant asked the accused.
“If you don’t identify yourself as an alcoholic why do you go Alcoholics Anonymous?”
The man said: “I get a lot of information from people… I want to abstain from drinking alcohol.”
Six days before the incident, the man had been ordered by the court not to go within 200 metres of the property if he was alcohol-affected.
Mr Bryant noted that usually meant the offender’s drinking was associated with violence.
The accused wore a neck brace, which he told the court was due to a drunken car accident on private property.
He had “skolled” a bottle of Southern Comfort bourbon after a family argument, he told the court.
“Yes it’s extremely excessive. I felt I had my heart ripped out and jumped on.”
The man argued that his drinking was “not that bad” according to his GP.
Mr Bryant urged the man to be “strong” for his partner.
“If you had a DeLorean (time-travelling car) and could go back in time, what would you do differently?”
“I’d go back a bit further than that incident,” the accused replied.
The man was placed on a 12-month good-behaviour bond, with orders to complete a positive lifestyle course and an alcohol-counselling regime, as well as donate $500 to a women’s shelter.
