A South Coast man who punched a woman in the face, stomped on her head, hit her with with a piece of wood before bludgeoning her with a large rock that left her skull exposed, has been jailed for seven years.
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In Nowra District Court, Taren Matika, 43, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent, affray and malicious damage.
He was also charged with committing an act of cruelty upon an animal.
The charges stemmed from a vicious assault at the Bendalong Caravan Park in July 2017 which left the female victim battered and bruised, sporting four broken ribs, a fractured nose, multiple fractures of the eye socket, a large laceration to the forehead that exposed her skull, a collapsed lung and numerous abrasions over her body.
Court papers said Matika, and the woman, who had known each other for many years and had been in a relationship which had a history of domestic violence, had stayed overnight at the caravan park on July 20.
After a verbal argument that evening, Matika started drinking the next day with three other males.
Due to a history of Matika becoming violent when he drank, the woman, feeling anxious, decided to leave the caravan park.
She grabbed her dog and started to drive away but Matika approached the car trying to get in.
After being told the woman was going to her mother's home and he wasn't welcome, Matika flew into a rage, jumping onto the bonnet of the car, stomping on the windscreen which shattered.
The woman drove towards a nearby caravan yelling for help. Matika picked up a shovel and smashed the rear and side windows.
He smashed the driver's window, got into the vehicle and pushed the woman into the passenger's seat.
The woman opened the passenger's side door and let her dog escape but Matika grabbed her hair to stop her from getting out of the car.
Police said Matika then drove the car into a tree and held the accelerator flat until the engine blew up, telling the woman, "The car's not going anywhere now, it's blown up".
What followed was a brutal attack.
Matika grabbed the woman and punched her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.
While she was on the ground he stomped on her face twice with full force, and then kicked dirt into her face.
Court papers said the woman's dog came to her aid but Matika kicked the dog with such force he lifted the animal off the ground.
He then kicked the woman in the side of the ribs, where she felt bones break.
Matika picked up a one-metre piece of hardwood and hit the woman twice in the head and neck.
The court heard Matika grabbed a large piece of rock, which weighed up to 10 kilograms, and launched it at the woman's head from about 1.5 metres.
Court papers said the rock "bounced" off her head and shattered, as Matika threatened to kill her.
The victim suffered a large laceration to her forehead, which left her skull exposed.
Court papers said Matika washed his hands and helped the injured woman to a nearby table and chair, saying he had rung the ambulance.
When police and ambulance paramedics arrived Matika was holding his hand over the laceration on the woman's forehead,
Judge Chris O'Brien sentenced Matika to seven years' jail with a non-parole period of 4 1/2 years.
He will be eligible for release on January 20, 2024.
