Attacker pleads guilty to biting in family violence assault

The 20-year-old man appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to 10 charges including intentionally causing injury, recklessly causing injury, and unlawful assault.

The court heard on May 30 last year, the man entered the woman's home despite her attempts to stop him.

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The pair spoke about their recent separation before the man became verbally abusive.

He pushed the woman onto a bed and used a closed fist to hit her to the head multiple times. During the assault, the man bit the left side of the victim's face.

He also placed his hands around the woman's neck to strangle her while she tried to fight him off.

The woman's two young children were in the house at the time of the assault.

After about five minutes, the woman was able to break free of the man and call a friend for help.

The friend arrived at the property a short time later and led the man away from the house. The victim contacted police that night and made a formal statement.

The man was arrested and questioned by police on June 1. He denied the offending and told officers he was not at the victim's address on the day of the assault.

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The court heard then on October 13, the man was with his new pregnant partner in a Bendigo street.

The man, who was under the influence of alcohol, started a verbal argument with the woman before pushing her in the chest.

The woman fell to the ground and bystanders rushed to restrain the man.

The 20-year-old was arrested but his partner chose not to make a statement to police. She was not injured in the incident.

The man admitted to the offending during his interview with police. He was on a community corrections order at the time.

The court heard then on January 17 this year, the man was drinking alcohol at the same woman's home.

The man started to have a psychotic episode inside the house so the woman took the man outside for some fresh air.

When the pair was outside, the man came at the woman and grabbed her. He started to shake the victim, ripping her shirt.

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The man then headbutted the woman in the forehead, causing her to fall backwards.

The court heard the woman was terrified and she ran inside to seek help from other residents. She did not contact police that evening, but the man was arrested the next day.

He was taken to hospital for a psychiatric assessment but was later discharged and interviewed by police. He made a no comment interview.

The man's defence lawyer Madeleine Mein told the court the man had a traumatic childhood and had seen his own father commit family violence against his mother.

Ms Mein said the man had shown traits of borderline personality disorder and reported hearing voices in his head.

The lawyer said his mental health would make time in custody more difficult and he was hoping to leave central Victoria for a fresh start once released from prison.

Ms Mein said her client had already spent 157 days in pre-sentence detention.

Magistrate Patrick Southey described the May 30 assault as "appalling" but said the man's "disadvantaged" background made sentencing more challenging.

Mr Southey indicated the man would receive a six-month jail term with a community corrections order.

The magistrate ordered the man to undergo a corrections assessment. He was remanded in custody and is due to return to court later this week.

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