A public servant has faced the ACT Magistrates Court charged with assault and choking. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged family violence.
A teenager tried to intervene and protect her 12-year-old sister when their father allegedly choked her, a court has heard.
The younger girl was allegedly left gasping for air from their father’s attack.
The man, who works as a public servant in the federal government, faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (28 January), charged with two counts of assault and one of choking.
The court heard it alleged that the previous day, Tuesday (27 January), the 12-year-old girl had taken her father’s phone and was tapping him on the shoulder.
He allegedly pushed her onto a couch, causing her to fall over backwards, then choked her around her neck for 10 seconds.
This allegedly occurred in front of his older daughter, who tried to intervene twice to get him off her younger sister, but he then assaulted her as well.
The court heard both sisters went upstairs to call their mother, who wasn’t home at the time. Their mother told them to call the police, which they did.
The man’s defence lawyer, when applying for bail, said her client was an Australian citizen who worked in a leadership role in his federal government department.
His wife had been away from home for a time, and he had been the main carer for their children while she was gone, the lawyer said.
The prosecutor opposed bail, saying the allegations were of an “extremely serious nature” and the 12-year-old girl appeared to be an extremely vulnerable child.
She said police had also reported they were looking into other allegations of family violence committed by the man.
The court heard the welfare of the daughters was raised in different ways during the bail application. The man’s defence lawyer asked for bail as she argued he was the sole carer for the children, while the prosecutor alleged he had demonstrated he was wholly unfit to care for them.
Magistrate Amy Begley said the proposed bail conditions included the man returning to the family home where he had lived with his daughters, but this would pose risks if he were released.
She also noted how the older sister reported the 12-year-old was particularly distressed after the alleged incident.
The magistrate refused bail and remanded the man in custody until February.
The man, who is not named to avoid identifying his daughters, has not entered pleas.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call triple zero.
Great post psycho. View