A BENDIGO man who bit his partner and damaged her phone during a series of "nasty" family violence incidents will be jailed for six months.
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The 33-year-old man accepted the sentence indication in Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to six charges including intentionally causing injury and breaching a family violence intervention order.
The court heard on January 14 this year, the man was drinking heavily while at home with his partner and three children.
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He became verbally abusive towards the woman and kicked a recycling bin in the kitchen.
The man then grabbed the woman's phone and threw it to the ground, cracking the phone screen in the process.
The man went to a bedroom and repeatedly slammed the door into a set of drawers. The woman fled the property with her three children and contacted the police.
Police attended the property but the man could not be located. He was arrested the next day and interviewed.
The man told police he did not mean to scare the woman or the children, and that he would never hurt them.
A final family violence intervention order was issued with the woman listed as the protected person.
On August 21, the woman picked the man up from a Bendigo address so they could drive towards Kilmore.
The man had been drinking throughout the day and was continuing to drink alcohol as he sat in the front passenger seat. Their three children were also in the car.
A verbal argument broke out between the pair as they were driving along the McIvor Highway, with the man calling the woman a "dumb c***".
The court heard the woman pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and told the man to exit the car. He refused but after he calmed down, the woman continued driving.
The man became abusive again and threw a can of alcohol onto the dashboard. The woman pulled the car over a second time, taking the keys out of the ignition and exiting the car.
The man tried to take the keys from the woman, with the pair struggling on the ground for the keys. The man held the woman down and bit her on her right breast during the altercation.
The court heard the man managed to grab the keys, enter the vehicle, and drive off with the children inside.
Police located the man driving through Heathcote with the children. He underwent a preliminary breath test, which showed a blood alcohol reading of 0.047.
Defence lawyer Harry Lewis told the court the man was "extremely remorseful" for the offending.
Mr Lewis said it was the man's first time in custody and he had already served 81 days of pre-sentence detention, including 16 days in isolation.
The defence lawyer said the man was previously an alcoholic and addicted to methamphetamine.
But Mr Lewis said the 33-year-old had controlled his addictions and had been seeing a psychologist for his anger management issues, although those counselling sessions had stopped this year.
The defence lawyer said while the man had previously breached community corrections orders, he should have another chance at an order so he could address his outstanding issues.
Magistrate Sharon McRae said the "nasty" offending would have been "petrifying" for the man's partner and children.
Ms McRae said it was an aggravating feature that the children were present during the abuse.
The magistrate said it was also concerning that the man damaged the woman's phone, which could have prevented her from contacting the police.
Ms McRae said the man should have changed his ways after the January incident.
"When your family flees because they're scared, that's usually a fair indication that you need to change," Ms McRae said.
The magistrate indicated she would sentence the man to six months in jail with a community corrections order if he pleaded guilty to the offending.
Mr Lewis said his client accepted the indication. The case was adjourned to later this month so the man could undergo a corrections assessment.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, the Centre for Non-Violence is available on 1800 884 292. Safe Steps is a 24-hour statewide crisis line, available on 1800 015 188.
If you or someone else is in danger, call 000.
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