A recidivist family violence offender, whose on-again off-again girlfriend even has a court order protecting her pet dog, is back in the Warrnambool police station cells.
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A Koroit district man in his 40s was arrested on Wednesday for twice breaching a current court-imposed intervention order banning him from having any contact with a woman.
He is alleged to have been seen by an off-duty police officer in the company of the woman at Gateway Plaza and it's also alleged they were together at a Warrnambool motel.
The man is banned from being within five metres of the woman.
In July this year the regular offender was jailed for 45 days after stealing the woman's much-loved dog, which is named after her deceased son.
At the time the dog was taken, police attended a Warrnambool property and spoke to the victim who said: "If he goes past and sees yous (sic.) here, Mum's gonna cop it. I'm dead anyway. I've been dead for months."
Police allege the offender understood the victim's emotional attachment to her dog and that he took the pet in order to "get back at her".
Magistrate John Lesser urged the man to seek professional help in the future.
"If you can get supports around you for your mental health and drug and alcohol issues, then it will stand you in good stead going forward," he said.
When the man was arrested the dog was recovered unharmed.
Police are expected to oppose bail as the man has more than 40 pages of prior court appearances and has been regularly jailed.
The New South Wales state government is currently considering changing legislation to allow for pets to be included on court-imposed intervention orders.
The abduction or abuse of pets is seens as controlling behaviour which could force victims to act against their will.
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