By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man has head-butted a vehicle and punctured car tyres in a bizarre family violence incident in Narre Warren.
On 16 October, the man visited his wife’s home on Princes Highway in breach of a full intervention order served the previous day, a court was told.
After an argument with the ex-partner, he used a sharp object to puncture a car’s tyres outside the house.
From outdoors, he kicked in the rear door to the garage – frightening his partner that he’d break inside and hurt her and her children.
Police found him hiding in trees on the property. He was arrested and remanded for the next seven days until he appeared in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 23 October.
In a police interview, he admitted to planting a cannabis plant in the backyard – which he said was to treat his father’s Parkinson’s condition.
His interview was stopped after the man became “quarrelsome” and “belligerent”, police prosecutor Senior Constable Ben Hodson told the court.
Police also seized traces of cannabis and three prohibited weapons – an extendable baton, a Stanley knife and folding knife – from the man’s car.
The court heard that the man had a history of family violence against another previous partner in 2012.
Defence lawyer Emma Strugnell submitted for a therapeutic community corrections order due to the man’s lack of criminal history.
He had admitted to mental health issues, previously attended an anger management course and wanted to take part in a men’s behaviour change program.
“He recognises his behaviour is not acceptable,” Ms Strugnell said.
The man told the court that “I didn’t take the relationship break-up well”.
“It clouded my emotions.”
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen retorted that was “just making excuses for bad behaviour”.
Mr Vandersteen noted the man had described self-harming and was observed banging his head into a car during the incident.
He had been recently admitted in an ice-fuelled state to Casey Hospital’s emergency department, though he denied to the court he was using ice or cannabis.
“If you’re lying in relation to drug use, you’re only lying to yourself,” Mr Vandersteen told the man.
The man later admitted drug abuse to the court’s Forensicare officer, telling the court: “I need help (but) I wasn’t sure what I could say.
“Now I’ve been clean and sober for a week (in custody) I want to be back with my family, back with my mum.
The man was convicted and placed on a 12-month supervised corrections order with drug and mental health treatment.
He was placed on a full intervention order banning contact with his estranged wife and three children for 12 months.
