A Warrnambool man who persistently breached a court order by attending his former partner's house and hitting her with a set of dumbbells has been jailed for 15 months.
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The 35-year-old man, who cannot be named because that could identify the victim, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court to unlawful assault and persistently breaching an intervention order.
The court heard the man was the respondent in a court imposed intervention order that prohibited him from attending his former partner's address.
But between September 15 and 24, he attended the property three to four times and verbally abused the woman.
On one occasion, he entered the house and when the victim locked herself in the room, he kicked the door, creating a hole and causing the wood to splinter.
He attended the house again three days later and continued to verbally abuse the woman before he punched her to the head and told her he would "cave (her) head in."
He then picked up a one kilogram dumbbell and attempted to hit the woman to the head, but she shielded the blow with her arms, causing bruising to her left forearm.
The man punched a hole in the spare bedroom door and the woman fled the property.
Police attended the home and located an unused capped syringe believed to be left behind by the accused.
The man's lawyer said at the time of the offending his client was using heavy amounts of ice which made him paranoid.
He said his client had spent 50 days in custody, was free from drugs and had gained 15 kilograms.
Magistrate Mark Stratmann said the man had showed a "complete disregard for the right of the person to be left alone".
"This was a court order that you should not have breached," he said.
"This is a very, very serious matter."
The magistrate said the man had an extensive criminal history that was littered with similar offending.
He said the man had served three months' in jail and was placed on corrections orders in the past.
"I'm particularly concerned that the penalties imposed previously have done nothing to discourage you in behaving in this way," the magistrate said.
The man was jailed for 15 months with a non-parole period of 11 months.
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