AN OFFENDER with a lengthy criminal history who bashed his girlfriend has received a suspended jail sentence.
Patrick Gerard Gavin, 42, of Schomberg Place, Warrnambool, appeared in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court this week for a contest mention on charges of recklessly causing injury and unlawful assault.
Police alleged that on December 12 last year Gavin, his girlfriend and two other people had been drinking bourbon and cola.
The friends left to get food and an argument developed between Gavin and his girlfriend about her old boyfriend.
Gavin punched bedside drawers before he turned around and punched his girlfriend to the face, causing a bruise to her cheek.
When their friends returned they noticed the woman was crying and had a bruise on her cheek, as well as bruising to her foot and kneecap.
Gavin called his girlfriend a slut and a whore and admitted to his friends that he hit her.
Magistrate Clive Alsop said Gavin had a lengthy criminal history which involved 14 pages of prior offences, but many of them were old offending which included violence in the 1990s.
In a sentencing indication Mr Alsop said that Gavin’s liberty would not be in immediate jeopardy but the accused wouldn’t want to jaywalk any time soon.
Gavin was convicted and jailed for one month but the jail term was suspended for 12 months.
Mr Alsop told Gavin that even swearing in public could trigger the suspended sentence and land the defendant back in jail.
An intervention order was also granted banning Gavin from assaulting or threatening the woman.
