A TERANG man who dragged his former girlfriend out of a car parked beside Raglan Parade and assaulted her has been fined $3500.
David Van Kempen, 21, of Grey Street, yesterday pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court to dangerous driving and two counts of breaching intervention orders. He was convicted, fined $3500 and lost his driver’s licence for six months.
In November last year a woman took out an intervention order against Van Kempen but five days later they met at Tower Hill, where it was claimed he grabbed hold of her car keys and abused her before she was able to grab her keys back. Police said that about 12.30am on December 11 last year, Van Kempen drove a black Holden along Raglan Parade before he swerved and cut off another vehicle.
Van Kempen then approached the stopped vehicle, dragged the woman out of the car, demanded she get into his car before punching her to the jaw, causing her to fall to the ground, before a nearby resident intervened.
About 10 minutes later Van Kempen was alleged to have overtaken his former girlfriend’s car on the Princes Highway and forced it off the road.
Van Kempen approached the car with his fist raised before he realised it was his former girlfriend’s sister driving and he sped off.
Defence counsel Tony Robinson said Van Kempen had been involved in a toxic relationship. He said the meeting at Tower Hill was initiated by his former girlfriend and they were thankfully no longer together.
He said that on the night of the driving offences the woman had demanded Van Kempen come and pick her up from a nightclub or she would go home with another man.
Magistrate Jonathan Klestadt said regardless of Van Kempen’s relationship situation there had been a court order in place and there was no excuse for physically assaulting the woman at night on the side of the highway.
He said the driving was extremely stupid and dangerous and the magistrate urged Van Kempen to grow up.