A man has received jail time after a public assault, seen by multiple witnesses and caught on CCTV cameras.
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Leeton's Lionel Stuart Alexander Gibbons, 37, appeared before Griffith Local Court on Wednesday charged with contravening an AVO, domestic violence assault and carrying a knife.
On July 21, a witness saw Gibbons put a woman in a headlock after an argument at Leeton Superwash while she yelled "don't hit me don't hit me'. The witness called 000 as Gibbons rode off on his bike.
Later that night, another witness called emergency services after hearing yelling and screaming, and what sounded like a woman being hurt. Half an hour later on Cyprus Avenue, CCTV and a security guard saw Gibbons jump off his bike, grab the woman by the hair and punch her three times in the face as she yelled "call the police".
He was caught and arrested by the police with help from the guard, after wrestling with the escaped victim on the median strip of Wandoo Street. Upon searching him, police found a flick knife.
Originally pleading not guilty, Gibbons changed his plea to not guilty on the day of his hearing.
His legal representative Sussie Gidlow said Gibbons came from a "deprived" background, and asked the court to take this into consideration.
She outlined he had struggled with drugs and alcohol for most of his life, being introduced to cannabis at the age of seven, and then 'ice' at age 17.
Growing up in a domestic violence riddled home and kicked out of school in Year 7, Gibbons suffered from illiteracy as a result.
He had periods of drug abstinence, which was reflected in his criminal history with times he remained crime-free. Yet, Ms Gidlow said, something happened which caused him to relapse again.
This is a serious example of domestic violence offending.
- Magistrate Joy Boulos
She said he and his partner had talked about couple's rehabilitation, yet Magistrate Joy Boulos said he had made no attempts as yet to find paths in order to get his life on track.
"This is a serious example of domestic violence offending," Ms Boulos said.
She said his comments in his sentencing assessment report were "particularly disturbing", and there was an increasingly strong pattern of domestic violence emerging.
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"His remorse arose from self interest... he doesn't consider himself angry or aggressive."
She said he showed no insight into his behaviour, his offending and the impact of his crimes. She took into account his subjective circumstances outlined by Ms Gidlow, but said full time custody was the only option.
He received an overall sentence of two years behind bars backdated to July 21, with a 16 month non-parole period.