Canberra man charged for allegedly breaking into home, assaulting resident and forcing girlfriend into his car before fleeing
A 23-year-old Canberra City man is accused of breaking into a home and assaulting a resident before forcing a woman into his car. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
A Canberra man accused of holding his girlfriend against her will, after breaking into her ex-boyfriend's home and assaulting him, has been refused bail.
Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.
The 23-year-old Australian Army personnel is facing charges of forcible confinement, burglary and two serious assault charges after allegedly breaking into a home in Canberra's north and forcing the woman to get into his car and go home with him.
The ACT Magistrates Court heard the accused and the woman were living together, and had been in an intimate relationship for three months.
Prosecutor Hannah Lee told the court the woman had gone out nightclubbing with her friends into the early hours of Sunday morning, and was then invited over to her ex-boyfriend's house where the pair had sex.
About 4am, the man and his housemate woke to the sound of knocking and a sliding door opening, before the accused allegedly kicked in the man's bedroom door and pulled the woman off him by the waist.
The accused's lawyer said the couple shared their locations with one another.
The court heard the 23-year-old punched the woman's ex-boyfriend multiple times in the face, causing his bottom lip to bleed, before they broke out into a second fight.
Prosecutor Lee told the court the accused forced the woman out of the bedroom and into his car by pulling her hair, while she was naked – in view of public witnesses.
"Coercive control isn't the right word, it's overt," she said.
The house's resident followed the two to the car and asked the woman if she felt safe going with the accused, to which she replied:
"No, I don't want this, I don't want to go."
Police allege the accused fled the scene, driving the woman to the apartment they shared.
Offences involved 'a degree of planning'
Court documents revealed the woman had sent a series of text messages to her ex-boyfriend asking for "help", to which he replied he had called the police.
The following text messages were believed to be sent by the accused using the woman's phone to the man.
"Nice one, [name redacted]"
"Need to get more stockade lessons ya [sic] c***
"How's your face feel?
"You're lucky I didn't kill you"
The 23-year-old was taken into custody by officers later that morning.
Magistrate Alexandra Burt told the court she was hesitant to grant the defendant bail, acknowledging the pair's "unresolved" relationship and that the serious offences involved "a degree of planning".
"Somebody who acts the way he did recently, it's so far outside of the realm of reasonable behaviour," Magistrate Burt said.
Prosecutor Lee agreed, and said the accused was "angry enough" that bail conditions could not ensure the woman's safety.
"He's not a person that seems to behave or act with the requisite level of self-control, or reasoning, or consequential reasoning, for conditions to ensure her safety," Ms Lee said.
"[The incident was not] a short temporary loss of control or lashing out, it actually took a number of steps."
The man has been remanded in custody, and his case is set to return to court on April 23.