A PENROSE man who breached an AVO by calling his former partner more than 100 times in one night has escaped a jail sentence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Anthony James Palmer was given a seven-month suspended sentence in Wollongong Local Court yesterday for the breach on October 9 this year.
According to police facts, the 24-year-old's former partner had called him on his mobile phone that afternoon but had not been able to get through to him.
He had phoned her back later that afternoon and again a short time later, when he had a brief conversation with her.
Palmer then continued to call his former partner's mobile phone, and the phone of her new boyfriend, more than 100 times between 6.30pm and 10.40pm, which is when police became involved.
The calls continued and police answered several times and warned Palmer to stop ringing as it was excessive and harassing and was in breach of his AVO.
The police facts state that in reply to the warnings, Mr Palmer told the police officer: "You f---ing listen here, that bitch won't let me talk ... She's a dog and you're a dog."
In arguing for a suspended jail sentence, Legal Aid solicitor Nerissa Keay said it was the repetitiveness of the calls, rather than the nature of them, that had caused Palmer's former partner distress.
Most of the calls had gone unanswered.
In handing Palmer a suspended sentence, Magistrate Michael Stoddart said not only had he breached the AVO, he had ignored the warnings of police on the night of the incident.
"You can't go on with this harassment," he said.