A DRUNK offender accused another man of being a "wife-basher" before he broke into his home and assaulted him, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 36-year-old man charged with the alcohol-fuelled attack was sentenced in the County Court on Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated burglary and assault.
On the evening of April 24 this year, the man was drinking alcohol at his mother's home in the Rochester area.
Read more court: Man given good behaviour bond after assaulting young boy
After hours of drinking, the man became frustrated and started a fight with his brother which quickly escalated.
The 36-year-old then went to the neighbouring property and started banging and kicking on the front door.
The court heard there was a father with two teenage children sleeping inside the house at the time.
The father, who was not known to the man, left his bedroom and went to the corridor where he heard the man yell out, "let me in you wife-bashing dog".
The man continued to accuse the victim of being a wife-basher as he broke in through the front door.
The victim's teenage son came out of his bedroom to see his father being assaulted. The court heard the boy grabbed a golf club and hit the man to stop him.
The victim's young daughter also saw the assault and called triple-0.
The court heard the accused eventually stopped punching, apologised to the teenage boy, and asked if he could hug him.
Police arrived a short time later and arrested the man. He was remanded in custody and spent 24 days in jail before he was bailed in May.
Read more court: Bendigo man pleads guilty to burglaries, car thefts
During his sentencing remarks, Judge Michael Bourke said it was clear the man's intoxication provided context to the offending but did not mitigate his crimes.
Judge Bourke said while the victims did not provide statements to the court, it was clear the attack would have been "frightening".
The judge also noted there was no truth to the man's allegations that the victim had assaulted his wife.
Judge Bourke said the 36-year-old had shown remorse for his offending and made steps to address his issues with alcohol abuse and mental health.
The judge said a further term of imprisonment would hinder his chances of rehabilitation.
"My advice to you is to not drink again," Judge Bourke told the man. "You don't seem to be a person who can control yourself."
Judge Bourke instead convicted and sentenced the man to 24 days of time served.
The 36-year-old was also ordered to complete a three-year community corrections order with 350 hours of unpaid community work.
If the man did not plead guilty, he would have been jailed for two years with a non-parole period of 15 months.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News