AN 18-year-old apprentice who rescued a homeless girl, got her pregnant and then threatened to stomp on her stomach in Camperdown has been placed on a good behaviour bond.
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The teenager, who cannot be named because he was 17 at the time of the offending, pleaded guilty in a court to recklessly causing injury and making a threat to inflict serious injury.
Police said that at 7.30pm on February 3 the teenager and his girlfriend argued about her being 11 weeks pregnant.
Two young girl witnesses heard the argument and described the teenager as hitting the woman constantly to the face in a “cat-clawing” motion.
The pregnant woman also lifted up her legs to protect herself.
The teen threatened to step and stomp on the baby and when police officers arrived they said the teeager was aggressive, hitting his fist into his palm.
He denied the assault but admitted in strong terms he did not want the baby.
The woman suffered superficial physical injuries.
A solicitor said her client was ashamed and embarrassed by his behaviour which resulted in him ending up in the Warrnambool police station cells.
She said he was completely stressed it at the time, involved in his first significant relationship and not emotionally equipped to deal with the situation.
“And erupted as he did,” she said.
The relationship had now completely ended after the apprentice initially met the woman on a Melbourne railway platform.
She was homeless and he rescued her.
His family did not support the relationship, the young couple lived in Queensland for some time during their five months together before they moved to the south-west.
The solicitor said that the woman had told her client she was pregnant four times during their time together - including in the first week.
She said this pregnancy had now been confirmed by police as being real and the teenager did simply not want to be a father.
The magistrate said that the teenager had been involved in a meltdown - and he agreed that was what happened.
“I just want to forget about it. I’m better than that,” he said.
The magistrate told the defendant he simply could not act as he did, his behaviour had been quite the out of control and he had brought great shame on himself and his family .