The day of October 25 last year should have been a happy one for Mathew Pinchen and his girlfriend.
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With the 32-year-old Shoalhaven man released that morning after a stint behind bars, it was to be the first time the pair had seen each other in six months.
But instead of hugs and kisses, Pinchen subjected the woman to a torrent of verbal and physical abuse, including threatening to pour acid on her face, under the belief she had cheated on him.
Police documents tendered to the District Court on Tuesday reveal the incident began at Goulburn after Pinchen went through the woman's phone and saw text messages from another man.
He accused her of lying to him and smashed her phone against the car before getting in and driving off, leaving the woman by the road.
He returned 10 minutes later and the pair continued on their journey, with the woman behind the wheel.
The court heard that on four occasions between Marulan and Kangaroo Valley the man grabbed at the handbrake suddenly, causing the car to twice spin dangerously, and violently swerve the other two times.
The following evening he verbally and physically abused her when she picked him up from a wedding, threatening at first to hit her in the face with a beer bottle then saying he would pour acid over her face and "watch it melt".
The woman remained silent, prompting Pinchen to lash out at her with his beer bottle, hitting her in the side of the head. He then struck her in the face.
The woman drove Pinchen home, then reported the incident to police.
He was arrested a short time later and charged with several domestic violence-related offences, including intimidation and assault.
He was sentenced to an overall 21 months behind bars over the incident, as well as contravening an apprehend domestic violence order.
He appealed the penalty on severity grounds, however withdrew the application in court on Tuesday after presiding judge Paul Conlon warned him he faced the prospect of getting a longer sentence if the appeal proceeded.