A WARRNAMBOOL father has been jailed for three months after punching his drunk aggressive daughter.
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Darren Leslie Wallace, 46, of Wanstead Street, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court this week to recklessly causing injury.
Police said that on August 9 Wallace and his daughter had been drinking at a Timor Street home before arguing about 1am.
He pushed her in an attempt to knock her off her feet and she pushed him back, after which he left the home.
Wallace was about to drive away when his daughter kicked out at the vehicle.
He got out of the car and struck his daughter to the head, causing her to fall to the ground.
She suffered a laceration to the head, bruising and swelling.
Wallace has also pleaded guilty to an aggravated burglary and threatening to inflict serious injury, offences allegedly committed on May 21.
Those charges will be heard in the Warrnambool County Court at the next sitting, starting on November 24. Defence counsel Matt Senia said his client had a tragic background and had been physically and sexually abused as a child, leading to behavioural issues and experimenting with drugs and alcohol from the age of 13.
He said Wallace started using amphetamines and heroin at 17 and had struggled with heroin addiction for much of his life.
Mr Senia said Wallace argued with his daughter over his treatment of women, including the daughter’s mother, and although his daughter was aggressive he now realised his reaction had been totally inappropriate. Magistrate John Lesser said the assault was lower on the scale than other charges Wallace was facing, but was still a serious offence.
He said it appeared Wallace and his daughter had a volatile relationship but the defendant had overreacted to his daughter’s provocation and intoxication.
The magistrate said he hoped Wallace could lead a more positive life after all his charges were finalised, he had served his sentences and he was released from jail.