Man pleads guilty to choking family violence incident

The 26-year-old man appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court this week where he pleaded guilty to charges including assault and making threats to inflict serious injury.

The court heard on June 1, the man became aggressive during a discussion with his step-father.

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The man started abusing his mother and she threw a bottle of water at him, which he picked up and threw back.

The bottle hit a plaster wall, leaving a hole, and causing $100 in damage.

The man then rushed at his mother and grabbed her by the throat, before saying to her, "I'll put a hole in you".

The man's step-father pushed him away and the two wrestled, while the woman fled to a different room.

The man's step-father then moved outside. The 26-year-old followed and proceeded to hit his step-father in the head with a plank of wood.

The victims reported the incident to police later that day and the man was arrested.

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In his police interview, the man admitted to threatening his mother but denied hurting her.

Defence lawyer Robert Morgan told the court the man had a "horrific childhood", in which he was subjected to abuse and witnessed family violence.

Mr Morgan said his client conceded he had relevant prior convictions, but a sentence of time served would be an appropriate punishment.

Magistrate Patrick Southey said the man's 57 days in custody was a reasonable sentence, given his disadvantaged background.

Mr Southey also noted the man's plea was valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic when courts were experiencing a backlog of cases.

The 26-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to 57 days in jail, which was reckoned as already served.

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